


Talking to the Moon, Walking in the Rain

by madamnovelist



Category: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV 2018)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, F/F, I Just Love Mirelle This Much, Lesbian Mary Wardwell | Madam Satan | Lilith, Lesbian Sex, Leticia loves Zelda, Letty Warms My Heart, Mommy Zelda Breaks My Heart, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Porn with Feelings, Slow Burn Zelda Spellman/Mary Wardwell | Madam Satan | Lilith, Soft Mary Wardwell | Madam Satan | Lilith/Zelda Spellman, Zelda Spellman Needs A Hug, Zelda Spellman is Bad at Feelings, Zelda is So Soft for Letty, they'll have sex eventually
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:27:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 93,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26897437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madamnovelist/pseuds/madamnovelist
Summary: Zelda Spellman doesn't really trust people. She lives for her daughter, Leticia, and her niece, Sabrina. But when she meets Sabrina's favorite teacher, Mary Wardwell, she finds herself feeling and wanting. Are they going to be able to heal each other?
Relationships: Leticia Blackwood & Zelda Spellman, Zelda Spellman/Mary Wardwell | Madam Satan | Lilith
Comments: 741
Kudos: 445





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hildie is working her ass off so Zelda has to go to Sabrina's school to discover why she sucks at history texts.

_Let Greendale cast a spell on you!_

Zelda Spellman runs a hand across her hot face and displaces the red curls, eyeing the sight.

Stress has been a constant in her life, in the previous months, and she simply doesn’t know how to deal with it.

“Are we there, Mommy?”, Leticia asks from the back seat. Zelda turns around and at the sight of her daughter’s merry face, her chest fills with love. She drinks in the big, chocolate eyes, the soft, curly honey hair.

“Yes, we are, Bunny,” she replies in that cheerful voice that just belongs to Letty. She parks her SUV in the Baxter High parking lot and stops the car, gets out, and opens the back door to let Leticia out.

“Are you excited to see Sabrina’s school, Bunny?” she asks, gently arranging the little girl’s denim jacket.

“Yes!” squeals Letty, grinning at her mother.

“You can leave your backpack here, if you want.”

Zelda locks the car as Leticia slides her little chubby hand into hers.

“Off we go!”

The hall is full of teenagers laughing and walking around. Zelda assumes that must be recess time and wonders where Sabrina could be while walking toward Ms. Wardwell’s office, Letty trotting by her side.

“LeeettyBearie?!” singsongs Sabrina’s voice behind them, and Leticia immediately starts squealing, pulling Zelda’s hand in Sabrina’s direction.

“’Brina!” the little girl exclaims jumping in her cousin’s arms.

“Hey there!” chirps Sabrina kissing her cousin, before standing up and placing a kiss to Zelda’s scented cheek.

“Hey, Auntie Zee!”

“Hello, darling.”

“You here to see Ms. W.?” she asks, slightly kneeling down to tickle Letty’s tummy just to hear the little girl giggle.

“Yes. Start praying, young lady, and pray hard that this conversation won’t do any damage to your party, this Saturday,” Zelda says sternly looking straight into Sabrina’s brown eyes. The girl smirks: “Don’t worry, Auntie. It’s just the history text, I’m going to do better next time! School just started. Anyway, I’m sorry if I can’t stay with Letty while you talk to Ms. W., but I gotta go to math.”

“No need to worry. We’ll see each other at home.” Zelda tugs Letty’s hand: “Let’s go, Girlfriend!” and walks the short distance to Ms. Wardwell’s office.

Zelda knocks softly and a sweet, warm voice replies: “Come in!”

“Hello,” Zelda greets walking into the room. It’s in dim light, like the hall, but yet again, everything is in dim light in Greendale, especially in Autumn.

When Zelda and a curious looking Leticia enter the room, Ms. Wardwell stands up, smiling: “Good morning. Ms. Spellman, I presume?”. She extends a hand and Zelda takes two steps on her high heels and shakes the offering hand with strength. “Zelda Spellman, nice to meet you.”

Zelda can’t help but let her eyes trail down Ms. Wardwell’s figure. She was wearing a white silky blouse with a black pencil skirt and the outfit hugged gently her lithe but rather curvy body, and the black stilettos she was wearing made her legs look illegally long. What drew Zelda in the most, anyway, was her particular face: sharp cheekbones, the kind women in California paid to get; delicate lips painted bright red and big, shiny blue eyes. Zelda was actually sure she hasn’t seen eyes bluer in her life. Ms. Wardwell’s hair was long, tick and chestnut, framing her face and falling down her shoulders in shiny, styled curls.

“Take a sit, please,” she says, and Zelda snaps out her daydreaming.

“And who are you?” Ms. Wardwell asks Leticia, her smile getting brighter and sweeter.

“Hi,” says Letty with fake shyness, batting her eyelashes at the woman. “I’m Leticia Zelda Spellman, Zelda like my mommy,” she explains, tugging on Zelda’s hand.

“We’re into middle names these days,” Zelda explains softly, looking at Leticia with crushingly loving eyes.

“Why, hello, Leticia Zelda. I’m Mary Elizabeth,” she replies kneeling beside the little girl. “Are you Sabrina’s cousin?”

“Yes! ‘Brina and Ambrose! Except he’s in ca… cal… what’s the word, Mommy?”

“College,” Zelda softly suggest.

“He’s in college, now,” Leticia pouts. She is so adorable Mary can’t help but laughing and Zelda finds herself chuckling as well. When she realizes it, she stops abruptly and clears her throat. She helps Leticia into one of the armchairs, murmuring: “You ok, Bunny?”

“Yes, Mommy,” the little girl replies, beaming at Zelda and pulling lovingly a lock of Zelda’s red hair.

“Let me speak with Ms. Wardwell here, and then we can go see Auntie Hildie, ok?”

“Ok, Mommy,” and Leticia lifts up her chin, practically begging her mother for a kiss. Zelda, needless to say, happily obliges.

When she takes place in the armchair next to her daughter and looks at Mary Wardwell, anyway, she is everything composed and severe.

“I’m so sorry, Ms. Wardwell, that I had to bring Leticia, but my sister is working, and I couldn’t possibly leave her home alone.”

“No need to apologize, Ms. Spellman,” she smiles, two dimples showing in her cheeks. “Your daughter is adorable.”

“Thank you!” Leticia exclaims, bursting in, making both women laugh once again.

“She’s well aware of it,” says Zelda, petting her daughter hair. “Anyway, about Sabrina…?”

“Yes, yes. I’m a bit worried about her. She’s always been a wonderful student and has just what it takes to fully understand history, but her last two tests have been really awful. I tried and talked to her to see if there was any problem, but she assured me everything is fine. I just wanted to speak to you, Ms. Spellman, and make sure that everything is alright.”

Zelda snorts and raises her eyes up: “I bet it’s that Kinkle boy,” she complains. “Sabrina spends every moment talking about him and I can tell she stays up late talking to him on the phone. I’ve talked to her many times but apparently she won’t listen.”

Mary Wardwell smiles and Zelda felt a ridiculous tingle in her chest. Just ridiculous.

“Don’t worry, Ms. Spellman. If you are correct, then I must say, Sabrina is simply in love. We just need to be patient with her, and she’ll be back to herself in no time. I am sorry I made you come all the way here, though.”

“No need to be sorry,” replies Zelda, shaking her head and giving the other woman a small smile.

Mary Wardwell checks the time on her wristwatch. “Ok, then, I just have time to get myself a coffee before my next class starts.”. She raises her head and looks at Zelda: “Would you like to join me? It’s just a vending machine but a coffee is the least I can do to pay you back for your time. And we can get hot cocoa for this pretty girl over here,” she finishes, blinking at Leticia, who beams at her in return. The little girl turns to Zelda: “Can we, Mommy? I’ll be super good, I promise! I like Mary,” she grins.

“Ms. Wardwell,” Zelda corrects her, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

“Mary is fine,” assures the teacher, with a wave of her hand. “I like you too, Leticia,” she assures the little girl.  
“Okay, then,” Zelda says, standing up. “There is no need to pay me back for my time, Ms. Wardwell, but since someone here has been promised cocoa…”

The trio leaves Mary’s office and walks down the hallway to the vending machine, Leticia babbling about her cousins.

“As you can see, my kid is rather shy,” Zelda comments sarcastically, while Mary selects the promised hot cocoa for Leticia.

“Here, careful,” she instructs, handing the cup to the little girl. Leticia takes it, smiling brightly at Mary: “Thank you, Mary!”. She takes a sip, and adds, while Mary hands Zelda an espresso: “’Brina says you’re her favorite teacher! Right, Mommy?”

“That’s right, Bunny,” Zelda confirms, stroking Leticia’s honey curls. She accepts the coffee from Mary and their fingertips touch, causing her neck to go bright red.

_Calm yourself down, it’s just a random woman with nice hair. And eyes. And body._

“Don’t tell anybody, but she’s my favorite student, too,” Mary confesses, whispering dramatically, making Leticia laugh. Zelda herself can’t help but show the ghost of a smile. The woman seems funny and sweet, and she certainly has a way with kids. Plus, she appears to be impossibly good at her job, and extremely loved, considering the number of teenagers walking by and shouting “Hey, Ms. W.!”, “You ok, Ms. W.?”, “See you later, Ms. W.!”. It’s clear why Sabrina loves her that much.

They finish their coffee, then Zelda grabs Leticia’s hand. “Well, thank you for the conversation, along as the coffee, Ms. Wardwell,” she offers, smiling slightly.

“You’re welcome, Ms. Spellman. I hope we can stay in touch,” Mary replies, and then quickly adds, blushing: “For everything regarding Sabrina, I mean.”

“Of course.”

Mary kneels down at Leticia: “It was really good meeting you, Leticia Zelda,” she assures, gently pushing a lock of Leticia’s hair behind her ear. The little girl grins and then, out of the blue, hugs Mary. Zelda, who normally doesn’t like sharing love and most of all physical contact with strangers, finds it adorable when it comes to her daughter.

“Ready to see Auntie Hilda, Girlfriend?”

“Let’s go, Mommy!”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Watching a basketball game, talking about families, getting closer.  
> Maybe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little something I wanted to clarify: there's a part in this where Zelda mentions Letty's vagina, praising it. One of my friends pointed out that it sounded "strange", so I just wanted to let you all know that, as you will discover further, Zelda has some body acceptation problems, so when she praises her daughter, she mentions the vagina as well, because she doesn't want Leticia to grow up with any tabu about her body or her sexuality as well. Let me know how that part sounds to you!

Leticia sips contently on her milkshake while Hilda gushes all over her.

Zelda doesn’t like that much the amount of sugar the kid is having but she had found herself unable to say no to Mary Wardwell’s offer and Hilda had shoved a glass full of milkshake in Leticia’s hands as soon as they had walked into the shop.

She snorts.

“You okay, Zelds?” Hilda asks, her hands never leaving the little girl’s hair.

“Yes,” Zelda nods. “Just stressed. And tired, I suppose.”

“How did it go, with Ms. W.?”

“Fine. Sabrina just needs to stop wasting her life on that Kinkle boy.”

“Let her be, Zelds. She’s in love. Happens to every one of us, sooner or later.”

“Not to me, thank you,” Zelda scowls. “Do we need to forbid her to go to that party on Saturday?”

“We’ll just do worse, I’m afraid,” Hilda reasons. “I’m sorry, Zelds, between running the shop and looking over Dr. Cee’s recovering I hardly have time to help you with the kids.”

“I misseded you, Auntie,” Leticia pouts, hugging Hilda and buring her face in her bosom, surely leaving milkshake’s stains on her shirt.

“I miss you too, my darling,” she replies, squeezing the little girl to herself. “But just a couple more weeks and I’ll be home, okay?”

“Yes, Auntie,” Leticia nods, going back to her cup.

An hour later, Zelda brings her daughter home.

She fixes dinner for the two of them and Sabrina, hamburgers and potatoes salad. She hates cooking with a passion, and meals are something usually Hilda takes care of. Sabrina and Leticia, tough, one sweeter than the other one, compliment Zelda on the simple meal.

At dinner, surprisingly enough, the main subject is Mary Wardwell. Zelda tells her niece how she needs to focus more on her studies, and then adds: “Your teacher loves you, I’m sure you won’t let her _or me_ down.”

“I know, Aunt Zee,” Sabrina assures.

“Mary says you’re her favorite student!” Leticia bursts, then blushes: “I’m sorry, she told me not to tell. Is she gonna be angry with me, Mommy?” she asks, looking at Zelda with wide eyes.

“No, baby,” Zelda assures, and Sabrina squeezes her cousin’s shoulder: “No need to worry, LettyBear. Ms. W. is the nicest and she told me in class you’re the cutest little girl ever.”

Leticia grins and Zelda raises her eyes at the ceiling: “And that she knows, that she knows.”

After dinner, Zelda and Sabrina do the dishes, still discussing their days and school classes Sabrina had. She has some troubles with a translation for her Spanish class, and her and Zelda spend some time working on it, while Leticia plays with her Harry Potter Legos. At nine thirty, like every night, the oven alarm goes off and Letty jumps up and climbs on her mother’s lap.

“Mommy! Pjs and books! Let’s go!”

Sabrina gathers her own books: “Great, LettyBear. A nice bath and some reading are a great idea. I’ll finish this tomorrow.”

“Did you get the basis? I can help you some more if you’d like.”

“I think I’m good, thanks, Aunt Zee,” Sabrina replies, and kissing both her aunt and her little cousin, she runs up the stairs.

Zelda picks up her daughter and follows her, while the baby chats uncontrollably, asking questions.

When she’s showered and clad in a bright pink towel, Zelda lifts Leticia up to sit on the bathroom counter. Leticia grins at her mother, ready for their most private, most treasured ritual. Zelda, like every night, starts from her face: “Your hair is beautiful,” she tells her daughter, gently stroking the little girl’s curls. “Your face is beautiful,” and she traces the rims of her chubby face with her fingertips. “Your neck is beautiful… your arms… your chest…” and she touches gently every body part she mentions. “Your tummy is beautiful,” she goes on, her own eyes watering as she asks herself is this can protect her daughter from hating herself, from making her body suffer like she had done with her own. She tickles Leticia’s belly and the little girl giggles. “Your vagina is beautiful, baby, and your legs are beautiful. Your back, your feet. Everything about you is beautiful and perfect and Mommy loves all of you.”

Later, with matching Harry Potter pjs – on Leticia’s request – they lay on the little girl’s queen-sized bed, Zelda holding in her hands their copy of _Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone_. Leticia curls against her mother’s side, her head resting on Zelda’s lap as she strokes her hair and back and reads quietly. She briefly considers going to Sabrina’s room for a some more boy chats, as soon as Leticia falls asleep, but she passes out next to her daughter in no time.

* * *

Mary Wardwell doesn’t really go out.

She used to, of course, with random colleagues and with Adam, but after he left, she prefers the quite comfort of her home, a nice book and a cup of tea. That night, anyway, she knows no rest. She has been uncharacteristically fidgety since she met Zelda Spellman and often finds herself thinking about her, her adorable daughter, and their meeting. When she called for Sabrina’s aunts, she was expecting to meet Hilda, like it usually happened. She really likes Hilda Spellman: she’s nice and warm and they’re on first names basis. Of course, both Hilda and Sabrina talk about Zelda, oftenly so, but the woman who showed up in her office was anything Mary was expecting. She is _ridiculously_ gorgeous. Red hair falling down her back and curling at its ends, sharp and stylish outfits, high heels, lipstick. Crushingly beautiful green eyes, a sensual, deep voice, and an extremely solid personality. It’s clear as daylight that both Sabrina and Leticia are crazy about her. Sabrina had told her that her family runs a mortuary, but Zelda actually has a degree in foreign languages and speaks English, French, Spanish, Russian and Italian. She is actually looking into learning Chinese as well, and Mary, who found her smart during the brief talk they had in her office, was actually dying for a real conversation.

She had spent her night thinking non-stop about Sabrina’s family, as in both Zelda and that gorgeous, adorable little girl, but tonight she’s sick of herself. She recalls some of colleagues asking her to go to _Dr. Cerberus’ bookstore_ – a local shop which actually sells drinks, hamburgers _and_ books – to watch some basketball game. Actually, Sabrina’s aunt, Hilda, works there. Mary seems to recall her mentioning she’s dating the owner.

Mary glances at the clock: she guesses she can give it a try.

When she steps into the shop, she immediately forgets about her colleagues.

Sitting on a stool, wearing black dress pants, a leather jacket and red pumps, a half-drunken beer in front of her, there’s Zelda Spellman.

A part of her brain tells her how smart she has been in deciding to go out tonight. The other part wants her to run back home immediately.

She takes two tentative steps inside, and watches Hilda appearing and saying something to her sister, a hand gently brushing Zelda’s shoulder.

_What do I have to do? Do I have to go say hi?_

She doesn’t have time to decide: Hilda sees her and waves excitedly at her: “Mary! Hello!” and _of course_ Zelda looks in her directions.

She has no alternatives now, hasn’t she? So she walks straight to Hilda and Zelda.

“Hey there!” Hilda greets brightly and leans over to gently embrace Mary. Zelda, who doesn’t hug anyone expect the kids and sometimes her sisters, looks at them in disbelief. She wasn’t aware the two women were in such confidence.

_Why is everyone so smitten with this woman? My sister, my niece, my own daughter._

“Hello, Ms. Spellman,” Mary greets softly, embracing with her eyes the low ponytail and the high collar of Zelda’s white shirt. Hilda bursts into laughter: “Oh, Mary, dear: _Ms. Spellman_?”

“Well…” Mary starts explaining but Zelda, out of pity for the blushing, stammering woman, silences her with a gesture of her hand: “Nonsense, my sister is right. You can’t call me Ms. Spellman when you and my sister are on first name basis and hugging hello.”

“So, Zelda?” Mary asks tentatively, smiling brightly at her.

“Mary,” Zelda nods back, a small smile displaying on her dark wine-colored mouth.

“Where’s that cute kid of yours?” Mary asks, still standing next to Zelda’s stool.

“Sit down, dear,” Hilda suggests, patting her back. “Do you want your usual milkshake? Zelds, you’d like another beer?”

Both women agree and Zelda herself gestures to the stool next to hers. Mary hops on it, her calf accidentally brushing Zelda’s.

“Sorry,” Mary mutters and Zelda shakes her head: “My daughter, who would have chosen your same order, is at home with her cousin. I rarely do anything without her, but I really wanted to watch this game in tranquility,” she explains, nodding toward the big flat screen.

“Oh,” Mary gulps, straightening her back, ready to leave: “I’m sorry, I’m intruding into your private time.”

“Adult conversation is appreciated,” Zelda reassures her. “Well, as much as I can make. I’m not a great talker, not like my sister, I mean.”

“I like you just fine,” Mary shrugs, taking a sip of the milkshake Hilda had silently put next to them. “So, you like basketball, I assume?”

“I like all contact sports,” Zelda explain, her eyes rarely leaving the screen. Mary doesn’t even remember her colleagues and their plans. “I would usually watch it at home, but Hilda’s boyfriend had surgery, so she’s been impossibly busy between taking care of him and the shop. I had to take care of everything, lately, so Sabrina kind of forced me out, tonight. I’m enjoying it, even if I’m rather missing my daughter.”

 _And she says she’s not much of a talker_ lingers in Mary’s mind while her eyes gently caress Zelda’s profile. She comments: “Sabrina is a real sweetheart; you and Hilda did such a good job.”

“The sweetness has to be all Hilda’s,” Zelda assures, and Mary laughs. “She told me you and your sister took her in when she was one?”

“Yes,” Zelda nods. “My brother and his wife died in a car accident, but I’m sure you know all of this already.”

“Sabrina told me everything about herself and her cousin, Ambrose,” Mary confirms. “But I’m sorry nonetheless.”

“It’s okay,” Zelda nods, and turns to look at her. “So,” she starts, ready to try and make some real small talks. She gets why Sabrina loves her so much: it’s an easy woman to talk to, even for someone like Zelda Spellman, who doesn’t normally like to talk to people. “Do you enjoy being a teacher?”.

She takes a sip of her beer and her eyes stay on Mary, who blushes a little and replies: “I sure do! I went into teaching because my parents wanted me to have a nice job, close to home, possibly. It turned out nice enough, my students are amazing. They ask me how I’m doing every day and actually care for my answer, you know? They’re funny and sometimes smart and focused. I never feel alone at school.” She stops and bushes furiously: “Oh my God, I’m sorry, Zelda. I talked too much, didn’t I?”

“Not at all,” Zelda tells her shaking her head. “Do you often feel lonely?” she asks, looking into Mary’s eyes, not caring that the question was far too personal if asked to someone she barely knew.

Mary doesn’t look bothered: “I try not to. I spend a great time at school, and sometimes I dedicate my free time to my students’ problems, when they’re in need of some guidance. And my nights and weekends are full of tea and books.”

“What do you read?”

“Everything. I mostly enjoy historic novels, though. Do you enjoy reading?”

“I do,” Zelda nods. “Well, nowadays I can’t seem to be reading anything different from Harry Potter, as for my daughter great pleasure, but I usually do.”

Maru laughs freely and beautifully at Zelda’s reply and after a little break of milkshake, beer and a smile in Zelda direction – the redhead replied with a little smirk - Mary remembers her conversation with Sabrina and dugs in, asking Zelda: “Your niece told me you have a degree in foreign languages? Actually looking into studying Chinese?”

Zelda nods, secretly pleased that her niece shares details about her at school: “Yes. Not that my job requires any foreign language.”

“That must be difficult. Dealing with death on a daily basis, comforting people…”

“Hilda is the one who does the comfort, usually. I’m not good with people.”

“I have the feeling you sell yourself short,” Mary says, holding Zelda’s green eyes with her blue ones. “Your niece talks non-stop about you and your daughter clearly thinks the world of you.”

“Like my family would count,” Zelda scoffs. “Anyway, I just enjoy reading newspapers in languages different than ours, and that’s pretty much all.” She pauses to drink some more beer and asks: “You majored in History, I assume?”

Mary decides not to press the _Zelda sells herself short_ matter and nods: “Yes. And then I took another degree in Social Studies.”

“Impressive,” nods Zelda. “What do you prefer?”

“I can’t tell,” Mary replies, shrugging. She gives Zelda a smile, her voice unbearably sweet. “Do you have any regrets? About not being able to actually have to speak foreign languages for a living?”

“I can’t tell,” Zelda repeats. She doesn’t smile, yet her eyes are soft. Softer than Mary has ever seen them. “But I’m pretty excited about Chinese. I know some basics, like how to greet, how to say thank you.”

“I know how to say _I love you_ in Chinese,” Mary interrupts, her long eyelids almost caressing her cheeks. Zelda lets out a quick chuckle but thankfully Hilda interrupts them. She leans over, puts her hand gently on Zelda shoulder and asks: “I just put out a trail of cookies from the oven, do you girls want some?”

Mary nods, looking at Zelda. She puts her iPhone out of her pocket to look at the time and Mary spots the lock screen, a picture of Zelda with Leticia, cheek to cheek, both of them sporting an adorable grin, Leticia’s little arms tightly wrapped around Zelda’s neck.

“I don’t know, the game is going to be over soon and I shall go home to Letty.”

“She’s going to be asleep, by now,” Hilda assures, her voice sweet and somehow calming. “Stay and enjoy some time to yourself, for once.” Hilda lets her hand run down the length of Zelda’s ponytail and adjusts it on her shoulder. “I’ll be right back with your cookies.”

“Can I have a coffee, as well?” Zelda asks, her voice neutral.

“Sure, love. Mary? Would you like some coffee as well?”

Mary shakes her head and a few minutes later Hilda comes back with a plate of cookies for Zelda and Mary to share and a package. She leaves it in front of Zelda and tells her: “Those are for our girls.”

“Letty is going to want to eat them for breakfast,” Zelda complains to Mary, in that tone that now Mary knows is not a real complaining.

Mary smiles, thinking of the little girl, and asks: “How old is she?”

“She’s going to be five on November 20th.”

“Three days before me,” Mary grins. Then adds: “Are you married?” because she has wanted to ask that since the first time they had met and even if she hasn’t drink anything the warm, cozy room and their closeness make her bold.

Zelda shakes her head: “No. And I’m sorry but if you mean to ask about Leticia’s dad, it’s not something I want to talk about.”

“I won’t ask,” Mary promises, her eyes drinking every detail in Zelda’s face, especially the dark wine lipstick, now smudged at the edge of her bottom lip.

They don’t talk more: they finish their cookies and their drinks, Mary occasionally giving her bright smiles, which just meet Zelda’s ghostly ones. Sometimes, she comments something about the game and practically roars a “Fuck!” when it ends.

Zelda collects her bag and says to Mary: “I really need a cigarette and then I’ll head home.”  
“I can keep you company,” Mary suggests. “I’m not in a hurry. Even if I practically annoyed you the whole night.”

Zelda rolls her eyes: “Do keep me company.”

They say hello to Hilda, who promises Zelda they’ll see each other in the next days, and they step outside.

Zelda fishes in her pocket a small, bronze cigarette older, a pack of _Philip Morris_ and a lighter. She puts one cigarette in the cigarette holder and lights it, taking a deep drag.

“I’ve never seen anyone smoking with a holder,” Mary comments, wrapping her arms tightly around herself. It’s only the end of September but it’s starting to get progressively cold.

“I like to smoke but Leticia hates the smell of it on my fingers, so Sabrina found this solution online.”

“You look like a close family.”

“We try our best,” Zelda shrugs. “Ambrose has always been sweet and quiet, but Sabrina is pretty vivacious. Hilda does the sweet part while I tend to be the one who forbids things.”

“And with Leticia?” Mary asks, enjoy how freely Zelda is talking.

Zelda comes undone in front of her at the mention of her daughter. “She’s just so _good_ ,” she breaths. “I rarely have to be stern. She seriously has the best nature and that is what tells you she can’t be my daughter,” she splits, without meaning to say it. Her eyes open wide, but Mary doesn’t ask anything. It’s Zelda the one adding: “I’ve adopted her,” taking another nervous drag from the cigarette.

“I love how you act all tough gal and then you simply can’t help but gush over your baby girl’s cuteness,” Mary declares, her eyes still ever so softly as they slip over Zelda’s hair and face. The redhead snorts: “A _act_ , uh? It’s no act. I’m not good with people.”

“You seem good enough with people you love,” Mary comments, curling her lips.

Zelda puts her cigarette out in the nearest ashtray and shrugs: “I’m off. Thank you for your time, and the company, Mary.”

“Good night, tough gal,” Mary offers, and turning on her heels she walks away, leaving Zelda to steal a few glimpses of her breathtaking derriere clad into the leather trench.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who commented in the first chapter! Comments really make my day!!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leticia and Zelda go trick-or-threating and they hit the wrong house. Or maybe is the right one?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to post a little early, hoping someone is still reading this :)

The first time all the Spellman family – minus Ambrose – can get around the table and enjoy a meal together, it’s the following Saturday.

They have Hilda’s famous vegetable pie and a big salad. Zelda and Hilda relax with a glass of white wine and for the first half of the dinner, Sabrina chats non-stop about about the date she had with Harvey the night before. When the dating chat goes off, Sabrina addresses Zelda: “Hey, Auntie Zee. Rumors go by at school that you had a date with Mary Wardwell, last Friday night.”

“Honestly, Sabrina!” Zelda jumps, dropping her forks. Hilda really wants to tell her niece to behave but her reaction is to hide her laughing face behind her hands. Zelda’s face is unbelievably funny. Leticia looks at the mother with wide eyes and Zelda immediately bends toward her daughter, caressing her hair: “Why are you looking at me like that, Bunny?”

“Why are you angry at Brina, Mommy?”

Sabrina, which is undeniably a handful but is also very sensitive when it comes to Leticia, stands up and walks over to Zelda, sitting in precarious balance on her aunt’s thigh.

“She’s not mad at me,” she explains, hopping her arms around her aunt’s neck. She is so relaxed and sweet that Zelda herself has to smile and drop a kiss on her niece’s cheek. When Letty beams at them, Zelda turn to Sabrina: “That was no date,” she explains tight-lipped. “And honestly, if this is gossip material at your school…”

“I’m messing with you, Auntie,” Sabrina laughs, standing up and going back to her seat. “I asked Ms. Wardwell what she’s done recently and she’s mentioned it.”

Hilda feels the need to step in: “Actually, Sabrina, I was the one suggesting to your teacher to sit with your aunt.”

“I have no problem with this!” Sabrina exclaims. “Ms. Wardwell is the sweetest person I know, besides you, Auntie Hildie.”

“I wonder why no one ever calls me sweet,” Zelda sarcastically comments but Leticia runs to her, lifting her arms up, suggesting she wants to be picked up. Zelda obliges and sets the baby on her lap, and Letty stretches her back to kiss her mother: “You the sweetest, Mommy,” she mumbles, already tired and in bed mood. Zelda hugs her back and strokes her hair: “That _you_ are, my Bunny, that you are.”

“Besides,” Sabrina continues. “I think Ms. Wardwell and Auntie Zee would be perfect for each other. And she’s pretty, isn’t see, Auntie?” she grins at Zelda.

“Nonsense,” Zelda says, in that tone of voice meaning the subject is closed.

* * *

October goes by, leaving behind a trail of dry leaves and the smell of burnt wood and chestnuts. Halloween comes, and Leticia spends the day in growing excitement about both Halloween and Sabrina’s birthday. They have a celebrating lunch and the girl opens up her presents in front of the fireplace, then they get ready: Sabrina for a party with her friends, Zelda and Letty to go trick-or-threating, and Hilda to work.

The younger sister, who is the appointed seamstress of the Spellman house, spends her afternoon attending to the last-minute touches to everyone’s costumes. Sabrina, to celebrate her sweet sixteen, isn’t wearing a costume but her mother’s wedding dress (leaving Hilda openly crying and Zelda furtively wiping a few tears) and Zelda and Leticia are going into Greendale as Morticia and Wednesday Addams. Leticia squeals non-stop about her black Wednesday wig. They leave the house around eight and stroll around, holding hands, chatting about the houses’ decorations. Leticia is a cute kid and Zelda knows it but enjoys nonetheless when people beams at her slipping way too much candies in her basket.

They hit five or six houses before Leticia feels the need to tell her mom that she’s tired.

“Figures, you were over excited all day!” Zelda comments, bending to scoop Letty up in her arms. The little girl immediately cuddles against her chest, mumbling: “Sorry, Mommy.”

“No need to apologize, Girlfriend,” Zelda replies, walking back to their car. Anyway, a few feet from their destination, Leticia lits up and points to an adorable cottage, the porch filled with pumpkins and with orange lights wrapped all over the fence. “Can we go there?” she asks, shifting excitedly in Zelda’s arms. The redhead, uncapable of saying no to Leticia, crosses the street and puts Letty down next to the wood front door. A golden plate says _Mary Wardwell_ and before Zelda can try to change Leticia’s mind with whatever reason, the little girl rings the bell.

_Lucky me._

The door opens and reveals Mary indeed, wearing a pair of leggings and a sweater. She has black, big reading glasses on her nose, is wearing no make-up, and her long, tick hair is up in a messy bun. She immediately smiles, exclaiming: “Hello, Leticia Zelda!”.

 _She’s exactly like Hilda,_ Zelda thinks, watching fondly as her daughter chirps: “Mary Elizabeth!!!” and raises her arms. Mary bends and hugs the kid closely.

“Hello, Zelda,” she says standing up, as Letty asks: “This is your house? I love love love it!”

“Thank you, sweet pea,” she says, stroking the little girl’s cheek. Then she looks at Zelda: “Why don’t you girls come in? I have candies and we can make some tea.”

Letty turns to Zelda: “Please, Mommy, _please_ , can we? I’m thirsty and I have to pee!”

“No need to beg, Bunny,” Zelda gently scowls. She raises her eyes to Mary: “Are you sure we’re not intruding?”

“Not at all, come on in,” she replies.

Mary is trying to mark essays, with little to zero results, when the bell rings. She rolls her eyes, expecting a bunch of children screaming for candies. Instead, she meets the delightful sight of Zelda and Leticia Spellman. Zelda is clad in a tight, black little dress, her hair straight, black and parted in the middle. Leticia is wearing a wig and sporting a big grin, which widens when she sees Mary. The sight, between the darling little girl and the stunning beauty of _everything_ Zelda, is simply exquisite. She bends to embrace the child and feels the sudden need to have the both of them inside her cottage, in the comfort of her own home. She invites them in, almost expecting Zelda to make up some excuses, but in a blink of an eye mother and daughter are in Mary’s living room.

Both of them study the neat, comfortable room, while Mary busies herself around the kitchen.

“What would you like to drink, Leticia?” she asks the little girl, eyeing Zelda, seeking for approval. Zelda’s eyes are fixed on Leticia, smiling softly. “Do you want cocoa?” she adds.

As she usually does, Leticia turns to her mother: “Can I, Mommy?”

“What do you drink at night, young lady? You’ve had in one night the same amount of sweets you eat in one month.”

Sighing but not questioning her mother or complaining, Leticia turns to Mary: “Can I have chamomile please,” she asks.

“Of course. Zelda? Tea? Coffee?”  
“Is whiskey an option?” she sighs, pushing back her hair from her forehead.

“That is _not_ a wig, isn’t it?” Mary asks, pulling out of a cabinet a half-drunk bottle of whiskey.

“It’s my hair. It’s just a colored shampoo, it’s going to be red again as soon as I wash them, which will probably happen in a couple of hours.”

The TV is on, the Netflix show Mary is binge watching still playing. The table is covered in textbooks and essays she was trying to mark.

Letty curls on the armchair, her head seeking comfort in the pillows. “Can I take off my shoes and pull up my legs, please, Mary?” she asks.

“Letty!” Zelda scowls, but Mary shushes her with a gesture of her hand: “It’s no problem at all, Zelda, really. Do make yourself comfortable, sweet pea, and you can switch the TV on a cartoon, if you want”. She goes to the kitchen area and comes back bringing Leticia her chamomile tea. “Be careful, it’s hot,” she instructs, and then removes a fluffy blanket from the couch and drapes it around the kid.

“Thank you, Mary,” she grins, clearly content.

Mary sits on the couch, next to Zelda.

“I’m sorry for suggesting that cocoa to her,” she whispers.

“There’s no need to apologize,” Zelda murmurs back. “You are very sweet with her and I appreciate that.”

“Is it possible not to be sweet with that kid?” Mary smirks and for the first time Zelda smiles back, a real smile, not the ghost of one. A smile that lits up her breathtaking green eyes and Mary feels something inside her chest melting and drooling in her stomach. She actually wants to comment on it, but something tells her Zelda wouldn’t be that happy. So she moves the conversation on Sabrina’s birthday, and Zelda tells her how they spent their day: “We had a nice lunch and she opened presents. She was pretty sad about Ambrose not being there, and Leticia was sad about Sabrina not joining her for trick-or-threating.”

Mary laughs at Leticia’s antics and asks: “When is _your_ birthday, Zelda?”

“December 15th?” she replies, raising an eyebrow questioningly. “Why do you ask?”

“It’s just something about you I don’t know,” Mary shrugs. “Among many others.”

“And you want to know?”

“I want to learn,” Mary confirms, looking straight into Zelda’s eyes.

“Yes,” Zelda begins, not ashamed of Mary’s gaze. “My birthday is December 15th and Hilda usually makes a chocolate cake, which is my favorite. I’m not the biggest fan of birthdays, anyway.”

“They’re nice, if you’re reminded that you’re loved, and someone actually cares that you were born.”

“I guess I didn’t have much to celebrate until Leticia came along,” she confesses, casually, her hands playing with the glass.

Without thinking, Mary reaches out and squeezes Zelda’s hand very briefly. She feels the redhead tense and she regrets it. So Zelda Spellman isn’t actually a fan of physical contact, unless it comes from Leticia or Sabrina. But why is so important to learn what Zelda likes? She’s just her favorite student’s parent, who this morning had actually hugged her and told Mary she really appreciates her presence in her life. And Zelda is the mother of the most crushingly, ridiculously adorable five-years-old ever, currently napping on Mary’s armchair, her wig forgotten on the floor. _And_ Zelda is the most perfect, the _stunniest_ –

“I should probably take Letty home,” Zelda murmurs, forcing Mary to focus on the present. She doesn’t seem too incline to move, anyway: her legs are stretched out in front of her, her ankles crossed. Her hands are on her lap and her back and head rest against the soft cushion of the couch. She’s comfortable. She adds: “Actually, you were working when we stopped by, right? I feel like we totally interrupted your time.”

Mary shakes her head. She wants to reach out and take Zelda’s hand again for she hadn’t felt her skin long enough. But she knows better and settles on replying: “No, not at all. It looked like I wasn’t able to concentrate. Anyway, I like having you here, you make me feel at ease. Even if we technically just met.”

Zelda doesn’t reply. For a while, the only sounds in the cottage are the movie playing in the background, Leticia’s little sighs and the wind gently caressing the leaves of the trees in the backyard. Then, she says: “Yes. For me as well.”

“It’s nice to have friends,” Mary says, slowly testing the waters. Predictably, Zelda snorts. “I don’t have friends.”

“Why not?”  
“Except for the fact that people are boring and stupid and finding someone worth it it’s absolutely difficult?”

“Except that, yes,” she giggles.

“I don’t trust people. I know it’s wrong, or so Hilda tells me on a daily basis. But I can’t help it.”

Mary waits, she doesn’t know for what. She wants to comment. She wants to say something, but she _doesn’t want_ , she _doesn’t mean_ to say what she says: “I was engaged.”

The words slip effortlessly from her mouth. Zelda turns, hooks her leg under her butt and stares at her, waiting.

_There’s no turning back, now._

“His name is Adam. He was the sweetest, kindest man. We got along perfectly. Yes, looking back, maybe we lacked in the passion department, but I felt good with him. He knew me and knew how to take care of me, you know?”

Zelda doesn’t. She gives Mary a noncommittally nod and the brunette goes on: “He wanted to get married and I supposed that, eventually, that was what was next in our agenda. Except one day he disappeared. I’m not exaggerating, he _disappeared_. The phone company told me the number didn’t exist anymore and his house was empty. I got an email, ten days later. He’s in Tibet. Just like that: I’m moving to Tibet, I’m sorry, you’re an amazing woman but blah, blah, _blah._ ”

Mary hushes.

Zelda Spellman doesn’t like physical contact, unless it comes to Letty or Sabrina. Still, she reaches for Mary’s hand and give it a tight squeeze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a little short but I hoped it was worth it. Things are starting to slowly steam up a little bit!  
> Leave me a comment if you liked it!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A very bad situations happens at the mortuary and Letty needs a baby sitter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to apologize for the Harry Potter fever.  
> Ok, no, that's not true. I just freaking love all of this! I hope you like as well.

Weeks go by and Zelda’s life turns into chaos again.

Sabrina spends long hours locked up in her room, studying for some important math text. She’s not a math person but she wants to do right and Zelda respects her commitment. The little free time the girl spares from her studies, belongs to Harvey and to Roz and Susie and some book club they’re hosting at _Dr. Cerberus’ Bookstore_ the following month.

At the mortuary comes a young man brutally killed by his fiancé. His body is covered in knife scars and for the first time in years of this job, bot Hilda and Zelda need to take pauses and make runs to the bathroom. The funeral is going to be a horrible affair, it’s happening this Saturday and Zelda doesn’t want for Letty to be there.

“I can’t stay with her,” Hilda explains on Thursday morning, while Leticia and Sabrina eat their breakfast and Zelda smokes reading the Italian _La Repubblica._ “Mrs. Parson is going to ask where I am and you know that, Zelds.”

“I know you can’t,” Zelda replies, voice deep and hard. It’s not Hilda’s fault but she needs to come up with a solution and she needs to do it fast. “Sabrina?”

“I have a study day with the guys. You know I love to spend time with Letty, Auntie, but-.”

“Of course,” Zelda sighs.

“Why can’t I stay with you, Mommy?” Leticia asks, her eyes big and sweet, the corner of her mouth covered in syrup.

“Mommy needs to work, baby, and it’s going to be a grown-up thing. I’m just arranging a funny time for you, but you know we’ve been very busy these days,” Zelda explains, removing the syrup with her thumb and a cheerful: “My messy baby!”

Leticia tilts her head: “Can I stay with Mary?” she asks.

The table drowns in silence.

“ _Mary_?” Sabrina asks. “As in Ms. Wardwell, Mary?”

“That’s her,” Zelda replies drily, shooting a dirty look in Sabrina’s direction.

“She makes the best chamomile tea and her house is super pretty,” Leticia grins.

“I think it’s a marvelous idea,” Hilda chirps, and Zelda groans: “Nonsense,” her eyes full of fire. “First of all, I don’t understand how someone can make _the best chamomile tea_ just dropping a bag into hot water. I’m not going to ask to Ms. Wardwell to look after my child, we are- .”

“Friends?” Sabrina suggests. “She seems to think of you this way.”

“Do you actually _study_ at Baxter High or spend your days chit-chatting with Mary Wardwell?”

“Please, Mommy. _Pwease_ ,” says Leticia and Zelda knows she’s screwed. Totally, completely screwed.

She opts for calling from her cell phone. After Sabrina leaves for school, and Hilda drives Letty to kindergarten before her shift starts, Zelda collects iPhone, pack of cigarettes, cigarettes holder, a cup of fennel tea with honey and lighter and marches to the living room, collapsing on an armchair. She hopes Mary is not in class yet, but she picks up after three rings.

“Hello?”

“Mary? Hello. This is Zelda Spellman. I hope I’m not interrupting.”

A few seconds of silence, then Mary’s sweet, excited voice fills Zelda’s eardrums: “Zelda! Hi! No, not at all! How nice to hear from you. How are you?”

“Fine, thank you,” Zelda says, gulping, not used to small talks at all. “How are _you_ doing?”

“Pretty fine!”.

A moment of silence, the Mary asks: “Is everything all right, Zelda?”

“ _Yes_ ,” Zelda stresses. “Have you heard about the boy killed by his fiancé?”

“Oh, dear Lord, I have. Is he there? At the mortuary?”

Zelda’s heart fills with something strangely warm: Mary knows, Mary _supposes_ , and she’s usually correct. It’s such a small gesture, a lucky guess, perhaps, but she _gets_ what might be upsetting Zelda.

“Yes. The funeral is on Saturday and I really don’t want Letty to be here.”

“Oh my God, no. Poor sweet pea.”

“But Sabrina has to study, and Hilda needs to be here with me, and, _I swear_ , Mary, I don’t know who else to ask.”

“It doesn’t need to be your last option to ask me for a favor, Zelda,” Mary tells her, her voice sterner than what Zelda is used to hear. “I’ll love to have Letty over for one afternoon or for as long as you need me to.”

Zelda sighs: “Thank you, Mary,” she says, her voice strangely weak. She suddenly feels like crying and she curses herself for being so weak and Mary Wardwell for the effect she has on her. “I’ll bring her over after lunch, if that’s okay?”

“Of course. Does she have any particular habit I should be aware of?”

“Nothing much. She’s a relaxed child. She reads and colors and maybe she’ll ask you to put a movie on for her.”

“Does she _read_?” Mary asks, stunned. “She’s barely five!”

“Yeah, I taught her. She’s young but she enjoys books, so I tried to teach her and she just…learned.”

A moment of silence, then Mary comments, her voice unbearably sweet: “You’re a good mother, Zelda Spellman.”

Zelda’s cheeks become impossibly read. She moves her hair behind her shoulder to let her neck get some hair and replies: “It’s all her. Oh, and can you please give her a snack middle-afternoon? I lectured her enough about not asking for food when she’s at someone’s house that she won’t ask you any.”

Mary laughs: “What does she like? I want to be sure I have the right snack.”

“Oh, she’s especially fond of everything with Nutella in it. And she loves tea, actually she said you make the best chamomile tea _ever_ ,” and Zelda stresses the last word.

“Perfect. I’ll see you Saturday, then? I would love to chat with you a bit more, but I have class.”

“Don’t let me keep you! I’ll see you Saturday.”

Zelda is about to end the call when Mary urges: “Oh, Zelda?”

“Yes?”

“I was wondering if – she pauses – nothing. Never mind. See you Saturday!” she greets with almost _too much_ enthusiasm, and then she hangs up.

* * *

As much as Mary would have loved to spend the afternoon with both Leticia _and_ Zelda, the hours with the little girl are simply delightful.

Zelda drops her off at barely two. She’s already dressed for the funeral, a formal, elegant black dress hugging her round hips, her long auburn hair held back in a bun at the nape of her neck. Mary feels her mouth water and she hopes that Zelda would notice the bright yellow silk blouse and the black fitting pants she put on just for her. Indeed, Zelda looks, but Mary can’t tell if she’s just looking at the outfit or _admiring her_ in the outfit. When she speaks, she’s composed and severe and she tells Mary: “Thank you so much for this.”

“No problem, Zelda, I told you.” She looks at Leticia, uncharacteristically silent. “What’s the matter, Princess? Don’t you want to stay with me?”

Leticia nods but she doesn’t let go of Zelda’s hand. She’s wearing jeans, a Gryffindor hoodie, and she’s carrying an oleographic backpack. Her hair is up in two pigtails and she looks impossibly sad.

Zelda kneels in front of her daughter on her high heels. “Please, Bunny, can you smile for Mommy? I’m sorry about our Saturday tradition but we’ll make up for it tomorrow. We’re going to Dr. Cee’s for lunch, just me and you.”

“A date lunch, Mommy?” she asks quietly, a ghost of a smile appearing on her lips. Zelda nods: “A date lunch. Me and you. And we can finally look into getting that Gryffindor limited edition of _The Sorcerer’s Stone._ ”

“Yes, Mommy! Please!” she squeals, her arms promptly linking behind Zelda’s neck while she showers her mother’s cheek with kisses.

Zelda laughs, holds the little girl close, and Mary watches the scene, her heart full of joy and something else.

“That’s how I like it,” Zelda tells Leticia as the little girl lets go of her.

“Now apologize to Mary and kiss me goodbye!”

Leticia does as told, in the opposite order. She gives her mother a sloppy kiss, and Zelda gives her three back, whispering: “For every kiss you’ll give me, I’ll give you three,” then Leticia hugs Mary’s waist in a heart-breaking apology.

“Go settle in, sweet pea, while I say goodbye to your Mom as well.”

Leticia runs inside and Zelda sighs: “Bribing my five-years-old daughter with gifts. I’m a sorry excuse of a mother but I swear, she was fine with this when we talked about it.”

Mary can tell Zelda’s emerald eyes are shining with tears and she impulsively slugs her arms behind her back and hugs her close. She expects Zelda to freeze, but she just sighs and put her hands on Mary’s back.

The brunette hugs her close, stroking her back: “Everything is going to be fine,” she tells her, and regretfully breaks the hug. She wants to hold Zelda all day long: her hair smells of vanilla, even if her general persona is surrounded by expensive perfume, and for a moment, Mary had enjoyed their breasts pressing together, but she knows Zelda doesn’t like hugs and doesn’t want to push her fortune.

“It’s okay,” she repeats, while Zelda fishes her car keys from her designed Celine purse. “You’ll take care of this family while I’ll take care of your Girlfriend, and when you’ll be back, you can relax, and we’ll chat a bit.”

Zelda shakes her head: “You don’t have to do this, Mary.”

“I know,” she shrugs. “But I want to. Besides, you always take care of everyone. You need to let someone take care of you.”

Zelda smiles, her eyes full of tears. Mary blinks at her: “See you later, Tough Gal!” and she walks inside.

The afternoon with Leticia is the funniest Mary had in forever.

As soon as Zelda leaves, Mary suggests that they make Nutella cookies, just to have something nice to go along with their mid-afternoon tea. Leticia’s eyes lit up and when Mary comments on how nice her hoodie is, she starts talking about Harry Potter, and she tells Mary everything about her house: “It means we’re brave and funny. Have you seen the movies Mary?”

“I have, and I’ve read the books as well. Many times.”

“Mommy and me read it together all the time! Me and ‘Brina are Gryffs and Auntie Hildie is a Huffupuff and Ambroise is a Raw… Ran…”

“Ravenclaw,” Mary gently prompts.

“Yes!” Leticia beams.

“That’s my house, as well, you know?”

“Like Mommy!!!” Leticia squeals, hands covered in cookie dough, a big smile on her face. Mary feels something warm spread in her belly at the idea of herself and Zelda in the same Hogwarts house and smiles at how absurd and nerd that sounds.

“But really Mommy is… a hal.. I don’t know the word, but it means the Sorting Hat wasn’t sure of where to send her.”

“Hatshall, sweetie. And which one was the other house?”

“Sytherin!”

Mary laughs: Zelda could indeed be a Slytherin.

They bake the cookies and they spend a nice and quiet time coloring while listening to the music – for being such a young kid, Leticia has her own preferences about almost everything, and like the _Harry Potter_ series are her favorite books and movies, she loves Pink and Ed Sheeran, and Mary has some of their songs play on iTunes. Leticia is humming while she colors when Mary asks: “Letty? What’s the special Saturday tradition Zelda was talking about?”

“We do it always,” she explains, still painting Elsa’s dress light blue in her _Disney Princesses_ coloring books. A pause from the Harry Potter fever, apparently. “We spend the day together, we color and watch Harry and we dance to our song. Sometimes we go out.”

“Which song do you dance to?” Mary asks, genuinely curious, while running a comforting hand on Leticia’s shoulder. She got quick enough how much the little girl _loves_ physical contact. Her mother’s daughter, indeed.

“We can play it if you wanna listen!” she proposes and tells Mary what to look up on iTunes.

 _Lego House_ abruptly stops and _Be my Baby_ by The Ronettes fills the room. Mary knows the song, of course, but when Leticia murmurs: “Mommy says the song talks about us and she picks me up and we dance,” she listens to every word as for the first time:

_The night we met I knew I needed you so_

_And if I had the chance, I’d never let you go_

_So, won’t you say you love me_

_I’ll make you so proud of me_

_We’ll make ‘em turn their heads_

_Every place we go_

_So won’t you, please_

_Be my, be my babe_

_Be my little baby_

_My one and only baby_

_Say you’ll be my darlin’_

_Be my baby now._

Mary’s eyes fill with tears while she listens, thinking of Zelda with her little girl, in the privacy of their home. A woman so different from the one she knows. She now recognizes what Zelda told Letty before she left: _For every kiss you’ll give me I’ll give you three._ A verse of their song. Zelda was a romantic. It almost makes her want to laugh, laugh out loud, like the first day of Spring. Like the last class before Christmas’ Holidays.

_Zelda Spellman,_ she thinks, _what an amazing human being you are._

During the rest of the afternoon, Zelda’s name comes up several other times. Leticia loves talking about her Mommy, so Mary learns how Zelda loves all contact sports (something she already guessed anyway), her favorite color is red, she’s obsessed with leopard print and vintage items (it takes Letty a while to get Mary to understand what she is talking about), Leticia and she have matching Harry Potter pjs (something she now _longed_ to see) and has a soft spot for mac&cheese.

They have their tea and Nutella cookies, then they settle nice and warn under a blanket watching – of course – _Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets_. Halfway through the movie, Leticia falls asleep with her head in Mary’s lap, when Mary’s iPhone starts vibrating on the coffee table. Zelda.

“Hey, Zelda,” she whispers, sliding to answer.

“Mary, why are you whispering?”

“Letty is napping on me. How’s it going, dear?” she asks, the pet name slipping off her tongue easily. Everything is easy around Zelda and Leticia Spellman, and the more she finds herself drawn to them, the more her greatest, most ancient fear stirs in her bones.

“Oh, my sweet Bunny,” Zelda exhales. “Here’s going horribly, of course. Mary, I know you’ve already done enough for me, but I have one more favor to ask.”

Zelda’s voice sounds tired and dangerously emotional.

“Zelda, whatever it is, it’s fine. Just tell me.”

“I may run a little late. It’s a problem if Letty eats dinner with you? If you have something else to do I can maybe -.”

“No, Zelda,” Mary interrupts. “Letty is more than welcome to have dinner here; I was going to text you and ask anyway. What does she like?”

“Pizza and everything else. Except from zucchini. She hates those with a passion, don’t ask me why.”

“Well, I can make her some pizza. Without zucchini.”

“You mean _get her_.”

“No, Zelda,” Mary laughs softly. “I mean _make_.”

“Wow,” Zelda breathes. “I almost regret I have to attend the funeral of a young boy,” she sarcastically comments. “I have to go. Kiss Letty for me.”

“We’ll see you soon, Zelda.”

She hangs up and realizes that she _can’t_ wait for Zelda to get there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger ;)  
> Let me hear your voices and I may be better, next time LOL


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leticia is picked up, a poem is read, a proposal is made.  
> Oh, and of course, Sabrina and Hilda annoy the hell out of Zelda.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting too often but who cares?  
> And of course I had another idea for a Spellwell AU. Along with, maybe, another one shot related to Veritas Vos Liberabit.  
> I'm just crazy like that.

When Zelda finally arrives, it’s way past nine. It’s almost ten, in fact, and Leticia, belly full of pizza and perfectly happy, is sleeping on Mary’s bed in just her t-shirt and panties, under a fluffy blanket.

When she hears the car pull over, Mary adjusts the last touches to the table. Candles are lit, pizza warm from the oven is served. On a last-minute whim, she had cooked Zelda a bowl of mac&chesse as well. Comfort food. She fixes her blouse and her hair and goes to get the door.

Zelda looks like she sounded on the phone: worn out, both physically and emotionally.

“Oh, dear,” Mary murmurs. “You look like you’ve had quite the day.”

“That’s an understatement,” Zelda snorts.

“Come on in, give me your jacket and purse.”

Zelda walks in and drinks in the sight and the smell of Mary’s amazing of home and a home-made meal.

“Where’s Letty?”

“Sleeping. Come on, I made you dinner.”

Zelda looks at the table, eyes huge: “You – oh God. I don’t want to intrude anymore and I’m sleeping on my feet.”

“You still have to eat,” Mary argues. “Besides, I can’t believe you’re disrespecting my pizza.”

Zelda laughs softly and falls on the nearest chair. She gasps: “Mac&cheese!”

“Someone told me it’s your comfort food and I just knew you were going to need it.”

“Thank you, Mary,” Zelda says, gifting her with another great smile.

“No problem. Would you like wine or beer with your pizza, dear?”

_I apparently can’t stop calling her dear._

“I need beer, please,” Zelda begs, picking at the crust of her slice of pizza. “Have you eaten?”

“Yes. With my beautiful date,” Mary grins. “I’m so taken by your daughter! And guess what? She told me you’re a Ravenclaw. Just like me.”

“Does Mary Wardwell have a Hogwarts house?” Zelda comments, raising her eyebrow. “What would your students say?”

“Nothing, as long as nobody tells them,” Mary says back, both her hands joined to support her chin as she looks at Zelda eating her pizza. Everything about her is magnificent: her hair, shining in the light of the candles, her green eyes, the slight cleft on her chin, the perfect curve of her nose, her white lily skin. She looks as the redhead eats and talks about her day and suddenly, she wants to try again, to say what she almost said two nights before on the phone. _Zelda, would you like to go on a date with me?_

“Mary? Are you listening to me?”

“Of course, I’m listening to you. What were you saying, dear?”

“I was telling you about how Mrs. Parson almost lost it when they took away the casket. It was almost impossible to watch.”

“I’m so sorry you had to do this, Zelda,” she offers, squeezing Zelda’s hand, resting on the table.

“It’s nothing,” she shrugs. “I hope Letty was good.”

“Good? Your child is amazing. She made me listen to the song you two dance to.”

“Oh my God!” Zelda exclaims, rolling her eyes. “I bet my daughter and my niece live to embarrass me. I’m sorry you had to listen to that song imagining something so creepy.”

“What? A very beautiful woman dancing to an amazing song with her gorgeous baby girl?” Mary rectifies, and she could swear Zelda’s cheeks went red.

“Pizza was amazing. Thank you, Mary.”

“My pleasure. I’m glad you liked it. Go sit on the couch, I’ll bring you some coffee.”

Zelda yawns and does as told. She plops on the couch and immediately, are eyes are drawn to a book resting the coffee table.

“Oh my God, Elizabeth Bishop,” she gasps.

“What?”

Mary walks in, carrying a tray with two mugs and a few Nutella cookies.

“You’re reading Elizabeth Bishop’s poems!”

“Actually, Elizabeth Bishop is my favorite poet and that book is always there,” she explains. Zelda looks her straight in the eyes, gaze full of surprise: “Mine too,” she confesses.

“Which one is your favorite?” Mary whispers, her eyes never leaving Zelda’s.

Zelda doesn’t reply. Her eyes move to Mary’s hair, embracing every detail. She whispers: “ _The shooting stars in your black hair/ in bright formation/ are flocking where_ ”

“ _So straight, so soon?_ ” Mary recites back, moving closer to Zelda. The redhead smiles and Mary’s heart bursts into her throat.

_It can’t be happening. I barely know her._

“Mommy?” Leticia murmurs, walking into the room. “Are you here?”

“Oh, Bunny, I’m here! I missed you!” Zelda answers, jumping back and off the couch.

In her daughter’s arms.

Away from Mary.

* * *

Hilda Spellman knows her sister very well, and she knows even the parts of her that Zelda herself doesn’t like to acknowledge. She knows how sweet she can be with her (usually once or twice a year), how understanding she can be with Ambrose, how warm with Sabrina and how completely in love with Leticia.

These parts of Zelda don’t show often. This is why Hilda can’t believe her eyes, that Sunday.

She’s working a lunch shift, and even if the Autumn day is bright and not particularly chilling, the shop is almost empty. Except, of course, for the Spellman family. Sabrina is sitting at the counter, eating cookies and working on a history essay – she’s determined in making up for her bad marks –and Leticia and Zelda, wearing two matching orange sweaters (Zelda complained enough about how _terrible_ that color looks on her), are sitting at a table, sharing cheeseburgers and milkshakes.

The atmosphere is quiet and serene, until the radio plays _Be My Baby_ and Leticia starts jumping on her seat: “Mommy! Mommy, our song, we need to dance!” she demands, already holding out her little arms.

“We’re eating, Bunny,” Zelda says, and Hilda giggles softly: she knows her sister has no intention in dancing in a bookstore. “Can we just sing? Here?”

“Mommy, please,” Leticia begs, her eyes already full of tears. Leticia is an adorable kid, extremely well behaved, but when she skips some of her mother-daughter traditions she gets needy.

“Come on, Zelds,” Hilda prompts from behind the counter. “There’s nobody here and we see you doing that at home all the time.”

“Okay, then,” Zelda gives in, standing up and gathering Letty in her arms. They walk to a secluded part of the room and start spinning around, as Leticia sings (messing up most of the words):

_I'll make you happy, baby, just wait and see._

_For every kiss you give me I'll give you three._

_Oh, since the day I saw you_

_I have been waiting for you._

_You know I will adore you 'til eternity._

_So won't you, please, be my be_

_my baby_

Sabrina forgets about the essay for a minute and all of them are watching Zelda spin Leticia around, laughing at how the little girls misspells the words of the song.

No one hears the bell on the door ringing, signaling the arrival of a guest.

The first one to see her is Sabrina, and she abruptly breaks the festive atmosphere exclaiming: “Ms. Wardwell!”

Mary Wardwell is leaning against the door, arms crossed, wearing boots, a denim skirt, and a leather jacket. Her hair is loose around her shoulders, held back by a pair of black sunglasses. Her eyes are fixed on Zelda and Leticia, until Sabrina startles her.

“Hello,” she greets, her tone sweet and warm.

“Mary!” Letty shouts in happiness. “Put me down, Mommy!”

Song forgotten, she runs to Mary and hugs her like she hasn’t seen her in forever.

“Hello, sweet pea,” Mary chirps, picking her up and walking inside the shop. “Hello, everyone, I’m sorry to interrupt.”

“I’m happy to see you!” Sabrina says. “I’m working on my essay!”

“Good job, Sabrina,” Mary nods, carrying Leticia on her hip, the little girl completely comfortable as she plays with a lock of Mary’s hair.

“Hello, Hilda,” greets Mary, smiling widely at the blonde. Mary is a usual guest at the shop, having a passion for Dr. Cee’s strawberry and banana milkshakes, and they know each other rather well.

“Hello, love,” Hilda smiles back. She _loves_ Mary Wardwell. She’s smart, educated and sweet, and even a great conversationist. Sometimes, when she has little to do, she slips at Mary’s table while she sips at her milkshake, and they talk.

“Don’t I get a hello as well?” Zelda asks, walking closely to Mary.

“Of course, you do,” Mary replies, literally _beaming_ at Zelda. Hilda’s eyes become two polls of surprise. What are they doing? The very best is reached when Mary actually greets Zelda: “Hi, dear,” she offers sweetly. “I love how this color looks on you! I’m sorry to interrupt your family day”

“You’re not interrupting anything; would you like to sit with me and Leticia? Oh, and thank you.”

Is Zelda blushing? _Seriously?_

“Yes, Mary!” Letty shouts.

“Inside voice, baby,” Zelda commands softly, following by the ritual: “Sorry, Mommy.”

“I would like to sit with you, thank you.”

“Do you want anything to eat, love?” Hilda asks Mary. “Or just your usual?”

Before Mary could reply, Zelda suggests, in front of an incredulous Hilda: “We still need to have dessert. Do you want to share something with me?”

“Yes, I’d like that. Just the usual, for now, Hilda, thank you.”

Zelda, Mary and Leticia go back to their table while Hilda heads to the kitchen, not without exchanging a knowing look with Sabrina.

While she makes the milkshakes, Hilda just hopes that between Mary and her sister is happening what she actually _thinks_ is happening.

At the table, Leticia is sitting next to Zelda, with Mary on the other side.

“I love your outfit,” Zelda blurts out. “I’ve never seen you wearing anything like this.”

“There is plenty of things you still need to see, dear,” Mary replies quietly, discretely smirking at her.

_If low-key flirting in front of a baby was a thing Mary could teach classes._

“Did you two have a lovely morning?” the brunette asks, her tone completely different.

“Yes!” Letty replies, never lacking in enthusiasm. “We slept late and we had waffles and we played in the garden!”

“That sounds amazing.”

“What did you do, Mary?” Zelda asks.

“Nothing different than what I usually do on Sunday morning: I woke up a little late, I had a very long coffee and then I took a stroll and hit a used bookstore. Then I remembered you mentioned that you’d be here, so I thought I’d stop by.”

“We’re happy to see you,” Zelda nods, and Leticia grins: “We are,” echoing her mom’s words.

“How do you feel?” Mary asks Zelda, looking into her emerald eyes. “You know, after yesterday.”

“I had a little trouble sleeping,” she confesses. “But I’m fine, thank you. So, what dessert would you like?”

They decide to share a slice of Hilda’s chocolate cake while Leticia settles on a little bit of ice-cream, even if she’s probably full, after the cheeseburger. They eat their dessert chatting quietly, then Mary looks at her watch: “I’m sorry, I have to head back home. I need to prep a class for tomorrow.”

“We should head home soon, as well,” Zelda considers, absently playing with Leticia’s hair.

“Well, before I go, I’ve been meaning to ask you something, Zelda,” she starts. She has tried to do this just once before, but it actually feels like she’s been trying to ask since forever. She steals a quick glance at Sabrina, but the girl’s blonde head is buried in her books.

_Now or never._

“Yes, tell me,” Zelda replies, offering a smile. But in front of Letty? Well… “I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me, sometimes. On a date. For dinner, maybe?”

The reaction she gets isn’t quite was she was expecting. While Zelda’s eyes widen, Leticia shouts: “Yes! Dinner! I love dinners!”

Now, as much as Mary adores Leticia, and she does, she was hoping to have Zelda all for herself for one night. If Zelda accepts, that’s it. But on the other side, she doesn’t want to take away Leticia’s smile.

Zelda is finally ready to reply, and she says: “Yes, I’d like that. Thank you,” which makes Leticia howl in delight and Mary smile widely.

“How this Saturday works for you guys?” Mary asks, looking in awe at both Zelda and Leticia.

“I’m free!” Leticia assures and both women laugh freely.

“Saturday works,” Zelda confirms between laughs. “Do we need to confirm mid-week?”

“No, it’s fine on my account,” Mary assures. “It’s kind of a nice place, the one I have in mind. If you want, of course.”

“She’s telling us we need to dress up, Girlfriend,” Zelda whispers dramatically to Letty, making the little girl laugh.

* * *

That night, Hilda comes home.

She finds her family in the parlor, Sabrina curled in the armchair, Zelda on the couch with Leticia draped on her like a cat. Hilda kind of expects to find them watching _Harry Potter_ again, but apparently this time Sabrina won, and they’re watching an episode of the newest _Sex Education_. Not the fairest choice for a five-years-old child, but Leticia is occupying herself playing with her mom’s curls, when she asks: “’Brina?”

“Yes, LettyBear?” Sabrina replies, her eyes never leaving the screen.

“What’s a date?”

Zelda’s head, until that moment perfectly focused on the series, snaps up. Sabrina pauses the series and focuses her full attention on her cousin. “That’s when you hang out with someone you really like. Like someone you love.”

“And what do you do?”

“You talk. Being a good conversationist is important. And then you do some nice gestures for the other person, to show them that you care about them.”

Leticia grins and Zelda is afraid of what she’s about to say, but she _does know_ her child and fully expects her to say what, in fact, she says: “Mary asked Mommy.”

Sabrina jumps on the couch and looks at Zelda: “You’re dating Ms. Wardwell?! Auntie!”

“No no no no,” Zelda corrects, sitting up, moving Leticia to sit on her lap. “It’s no date. We’re just going out for dinner. With Leticia. There is no date with a child, you must know this, young lady.”

“So that’s what all that fuss was about!” squeals Hilda. “Mary is _so_ sweet! And so smitten on you!”

“ _Hil-da!_ ” Zelda scolds. “Can we _not_ discuss this in front of your nieces?”

“Why?” Hilda asks, faking innocence. _The nerve of this woman!_ “Something is surely going on with you two and the girls know it.”

Well, Sabrina probably does. Leticia doesn’t know anything but she’s enjoying it all the same.

“Nothing is going on, Hilda, I swear. We’re just… We hung out once, that’s all.”

“But she’s nice, isn’t she, Auntie?” Sabrina presses.

“Sabrina, no one with a working brain can deny that,” Zelda replies, stress unmistakable in her voice.

“Zelda,” Hilda sighs. “Why can’t you admit that you like her? I know how you are, when you like people.”

Zelda is practically fuming. “Do you want me to admit it? And then, what? You know what happens when I start caring about someone.”

“Zelds,” Hilda says again, her tone warm. “You just need to meet the right person.”

“It doesn’t matter. The right person doesn’t exist.”

Then, the oven’s alarm goes off and it’s time to get Leticia ready for bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope to see you guys in the comment section ;)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's date night, bitches. Oh, I'm sorry: witches!

Mary Wardwell is a freaking mess.

She has been set on an outfit – a red plain dress – for all week, then, last-minute, she changes her mind. She chooses a Prince of Wale tight pencil skirt with a black fitting blouse which leaves her shoulders bare (she has to run into town to buy herself a strap-free lacy bra. Last-minute, of course. No funny business considering Leticia’s presence, but why deny herself the feeling of new lace on a date?) and a pair of vinyl black stilettos. She even gets a new lipstick, for good measure.

She’s finished curling her hair and doing her make up ten minutes before she needs to pick up Zelda and Leticia and she uses this time to get paranoid. She’s been wondering all week if Zelda got the meaning of her suggestion. She doesn’t want to just go out. She wants to date Zelda, spend time with her, possibly kissing her goodnight at her doorstep. She’s not upset about Leticia being there, for she loves the baby and she’s willing to get everything that comes from Zelda. Not to mention, she’s aware that Leticia is always going to be in the picture. And she wouldn’t want it otherwise.

 _What I’m stressing about_ , she scolds herself while she gets to her car. _It’s just one date and I don’t even know if she understood what I meant. I can’t possibly be considering any…commitment. Not after Adam. I know how it ends._

Burgundy is the color of the night.

Zelda is wearing a suit. A burgundy one, with a lacy black top underneath. She puts on her black heels and sits at her mirror, ready to do hair and make-up.

She isn’t actually sure Mary meant date as Zelda _means_ it. She didn’t say anything when Leticia jumped in and invited herself, but it was Letty, the one implying she was included in the picture, or it was Zelda, the one misunderstanding?

She scoffs. No need to obsess over it: she’s going to go out to dinner, and that’s it.

She starts with the foundation, then proceeds with her eyebrows. She’s about to wrap up the eyes when Sabrina peers out the door: “Auntie?” she calls with her usual grin, the one suggesting youth and confidence in the world.

“Yes, Sabrina?”

“I wanted to see how you were doing. Letty is literally _pawing._ Can I come in?”

“Yes,” Zelda nods, sighing. No need to deny it, she’s just going to annoy her even more. For a while, Sabrina is quiet, she just looks at the make-up on her aunt’s vanity.

“You look amazing in – _oh my God!_ ”

“What?”

Sabrina is salivating over a lipstick. Over her new lipstick, to be exact.

“This is Fenty Beauty!” she states. “Is it new?”

Zelda shrugs: “Yes? I needed a matching lipstick.”

“For your date.”

“It’s not a date, Sabrina. It’s a dinner.”

“A dinner _date_.”

“A dinner, _dinner_!”

“If I pretend that it’s just a dinner, will you buy me one as well?”

“Let me put it on and it’s yours,” she groans, frustrated beyond all limits. Why can’t she just move out with Letty? She swears Sabrina and Hilda live just to annoy her.

When she goes downstair, she meets Hilda – telling her over and over how _absolutely pretty_ she looks – and Leticia. Letty is wearing a burgundy dress (the same color of her suit) with a matching slim headband and black Converse.

“Mommy, you look super pretty!” she cries, a bright smile on her face, running to her mother with her arms wide open.

“You too, my love,” Zelda murmurs, picking her up and showering her cheek with kisses.

“Can we dance, Mommy?” Leticia asks, but she’s interrupted by a car pulling in the driveway.

“Not now. I think Mary’s here.”

Zelda has barely time to hand her her leather jacket that the little girl is running out, calling: “Mary! Mary!”

It’s Mary indeed, getting out of the car, in a lovely cream-colored coat, her hair curl and voluminous framing her pretty face. Zelda really wants to sigh but holds back.

Mary hugs Leticia: “You look so beautiful, honey. Are you ready to go have fun?”

“Yes! You look pretty too!” she grins, and then adds: “And wait to see Mommy! We _match_!” she practically squeals.

Mary turns around, still holding Leticia in her arms, spotting Zelda walking toward them.

“Oh, my,” she breathes looking at the stunning redhead. She has never seen her with her hair up.

“Hey, Mary,” Zelda greets while the brunette puts down Leticia and snaps herself out of a fantasy where she is pulling at Zelda’s ponytail, kissing a sinful way down her delicious neck to her collarbone.

_There’s Leticia here. You’re not a teenager. Control yourself!_

“Zelda. Hello,” she smiles fondly as she fearlessly takes two steps forward and embraces the other woman. She loses herself in Zelda’s expensive perfume, already so familiar.

 _Control yourself,_ the voice in her head suggests again and she steps back.

“You look great,” Zelda offers, and Mary squeezes her arm: “Nothing compared to you guys! I love the matching outfits,” she declares, stressing the word _love_ just to make Leticia giggle. When Zelda does as well, Mary’s heart skips a beat.

She focuses back on reality when Hilda and Sabrina call her from the porch, waving furiously. She waves back and turns to Zelda and Letty: “So, are we ready to go?”

“We can take my car, if you prefer,” Zelda suggests in what looked like an act of courtesy but it’s a simple pretest to break the ice.

“Oh, nonsense,” Mary smiles, grazing Zelda’s arm before turning to help Leticia buckle up into the back seat. She realizes she’s touched Zelda twice in a couple of minutes and offers her a crooked smile: “I’m sorry, I know I’m rather touchy and you don’t like it much.”

“What gave you this idea?” Zelda asked, puzzled, while getting in the car.

Mary wants to say something more, but as she starts the car, Leticia starts asking questions. The first one is if Mary can put on some music, and so they drive to Riverdale listening to soft pop and Leticia’s babbling.

They get into the restaurant holding both Leticia’s hands. Even if she would have wanted to spend time alone with Zelda, Mary finds herself on the funny, content note she always finds herself when Leticia is around. But then, they take place at their table and Mary discovers that, for her, is possible to love Leticia Spellman even more. They’re expecting their meals, and Zelda is tasting the bottle of Gewürztraminer the waiter had just bought them when Leticia looks at Mary: “Mary? Can I ask you something?”

“Of course, sweet pea.” She looks even more adorable with her slim headband, her hair curly on one little shoulder, chocolate eyes shining in excitement.

“Mommy says no but ‘Brina says yes and you said so but I’m not sure. Is this a date?”

Zelda coughs on her wine and Mary, fighting oh so hard the instincts of laughing out loud, reaches out and pats her on her back: “Careful, dear.” 

“Leticia!” Zelda squeals, her voice unnaturally high.

“What?” Leticia asks, seriously in the dark. Mary laughs out loud and then focuses on Leticia, for the little girls is starting to look from her mother to the brunette in utter confusion.

“Yes, Leticia, this is a date,” she replies very seriously.

Leticia beams: “’Brina says you go on a date with people you like very much”

“Yes, that is very true,” Mary nods with a sweet smile. Zelda, silent, her skin matching her suit, is still sipping on her wine, listening to the conversation. But then, Leticia feels the need to share with Mary something from the family conversation they had the night before: “Auntie Hildie said that Mommy likes you very much, because she knows how she is when she super likes people!”

“ _Le-ti-cia!_ ” Zelda practically roars.

“What, Mommy? I’m conv… con… I’m doing that thing ‘Brina said you have to do on a date!” she blurts out, frustrated.

“Conversating,” Zelda suggested, frustrated beyond words. Mary laughs, a delicious blush spread on her cheeks. She takes Zelda’s hand and squeezes softly, still looking at Leticia: “Well, I’m happy to hear it, Letty.”

Leticia beams at Mary, her happiness simply bursting when the waiter approaches to the table bringing their courses. He puts a plate full of French fries with a gourmet hamburger in front of Leticia.

“Here you go, young lady. Enjoy! Ladies,” he turns to Mary and Zelda, Mary’s hand still gently resting on Zelda’s. The waiter hands them their bruschetta and their tomato soup to share, along with a steak with grilled vegetables for Mary and a plate full of orecchiette with garlic, bacon and broccoli for Zelda. The redhead quickly removes her hand as they said their thank yous, and Mary smiles at her: “Your pasta looks yummy!”

“So does your steak,” Zelda gently replies as Leticia happily starts chumming on her fries.

“Do you want to share these as well?” Mary asks, and after a minute of silence, Zelda nods and putting all of their plates in the middle, they start picking on food as Mary starts the conversation: “How did your week go?”

“Pretty fine. I’ve been busy but Hilda’s boyfriend is getting better so she’s staying more at home.”

Mary turns to Leticia: “Are you happy that Auntie Hilda is back home?”

“Yes!” Leticia nods. “I’m happy that Uncle Cee is all better!”

“She’s already calling him Uncle,” Zelda murmurs, rolling her eyes. Thankfully, Leticia is curiously looking around and eating so she isn’t listening.

“Don’t you like him?”

Zelda thinks for a while: “I do, I guess. He’s clearly in love with Hilda and very sweet with Leticia and Sabrina, and these are the most important things for me. I just have trouble trusting people, I guess.”

Mary takes a moment before saying something back, but Zelda doesn’t give her a chance: “What about your week?”

“It was actually pretty fun! My science colleague needed some extra hours, so I was done early twice, and I took my class to see a play here in Riverdale.”

“Sounds lovely,” Zelda comments, offering a smile and guessing that was what Hilda would reply. She actually enjoys very much talking to Mary, listening to her telling stories about her job and her students. Everything about being there with Mary was nice: the restaurant, the exquisite food, their hands brushing as they share their food. Mary’s perfume, how she laughs at Leticia dirtying her face with ketchup.

“I am very happy that you ladies accepted to go out with me,” she says seriously, blinking at Leticia. “Are you having fun, sweet pea?”

The little girl nods seriously as Mary reaches out to wipe her mouth with a napkin. “Yes! I love fe.. fa.. Mommy, what’s that word Auntie Hilda always uses?”

“Fancy,” Zelda grins at Leticia, stretching out her arms to bring the girl close to her for a moment, kissing her cheeks and forehead lovingly, whispering: “Mommy loves you.”

“I love you too, Mommy! Fancy dinners!”

“You girls are so beautiful,” Mary smiles widely.

“We know!” Leticia says back, and then gets up to go to Mary: “You need a hug too!” she declares, wrapping her little arms around Mary’s waist.

“Oh, Leticia,” Mary murmurs picking up the little girl and settling her on her lap. “Are you all done with your meal?”

“I want dessert,” Leticia replies grinning. Zelda is halfway through her enormous dinner and raises an eyebrow seeing how her daughter is finished. “You’ve eaten pretty fast, Letty.”

“It was really good! What are we going to do now, Mommy?”

“Go back to your sit so Mary can finish her dinner,” Zelda says, sweetly but sternly, and Leticia runs back to her place.

“But, seriously,” Mary argues, stealing another forkful of pasta from Zelda’s plate: “What would you like to do, later?”

“What did you have in mind?” Zelda asked, finishing her pasta.

“Whatever you girls want to do. We can go to the movies or do something else.” She turns to Leticia: “What do you say, Letty?”

The little girl pouts in concentrations, thinking hard, then her face lits up: “I know what I wanna do! I wanna go ice skating!”

Zelda thinks about it for a moment: “It’s not a bad idea, you know? It isn’t even too cold.” She turns to Mary: “What do you say?”

“We can do whatever Letty wants to do. There is just one problem: I don’t really know how to skate.”

“We can teach you!” Leticia assures with much emphasis. “We are super good at skating. Mommy teacheded me when I was four!”

“Taught, baby. The past tense of teach is taught,” Zelda gently corrected.

Mary observes the exchange between mother and daughter, always so surprised about how Zelda treats Leticia as she is an adult, an equal. Let alone suggesting irregular verbs! She laughs out loud when Leticia snorts and complains: “I hate irregular verbs.”

Mary pays their bill as Zelda tucks Leticia into her coat and scarf. When they’re done, Leticia raises her head and Zelda kisses her on her nose. Leticia is furiously giggling when Mary comes back to them.

“Thank you,” Zelda says softly as they walk back to Mary’s car.

“Yes! Thank you, Mary!” Leticia chirps, carelessly strolling next to them.

“You are very welcome,” Mary nods, then turns to Zelda and adds, soft and serious: “I really hope you liked it. The meal, the restaurant… everything.”

“I did,” Zelda assures her, her cheeks turning a sweet shade of red. “I especially enjoyed the company.”

Mary pulls her car keys out of her pocket and reaches between them to take Zelda’s cold hand in hers. “Zelda, I-.” she starts, but Letty interrupts them, calling: “Mommy! Mary! I wanna go skating!”

Mary shrugs at Zelda: “Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Le me know what you think :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ice skating and flirting and cuddling.  
> Oh, and falling in love.

They drive to Riverdale’s central square, chatting and singing along radio’s songs. The atmosphere is nice, relaxed and warm, and Zelda feels like she is a brand-new person. For the first time in years, she enjoys an outsider’s company, someone who isn’t her family. She doesn’t trust people, not after _him_ and her _disorder_ and everything regarding Letty’s adoption. Something small inside her is suggesting her that Mary is different, that someone so sweet and caring, someone who looks at Leticia _that way_ would never hurt her.

As she looks for a parking spot, asking Leticia if she wants cotton candy or hot cocoa, Mary reaches out and runs her warm, lithe fingers down Zelda’s wrist to her hand, and squeezes it. “You ok?” she whispers.

Zelda nodded: “Yes. Everything is perfect. Thank you for…doing all this.”

“Mary, Mary, why we stopped but we aren’t getting out?” Leticia demands from the back seat.

“Sometimes I wonder from whom you got this attitude,” Zelda complains to her daughter, collecting her purse and coat and getting down the car. Leticia giggles as Zelda and Mary help her out of it: “Auntie Hilda says that when I have a bad attitude is all on you, Mommy.”

“Yeah, me and my bad attitude,” Zelda retorts sarcastically. They start strolling to the ice-skating rink, and Zelda says to Mary: “You’re never going to talk to Hilda again. I won’t let you,” she blinks at the brunette. Is she flirting? “I don’t want them to tell you _anything_ about my bad attitude!”

“I won’t believe them,” Mary flirts back, softly. Zelda feels a rush of desire run through her veins, and she’s ashamed of this, in front of Leticia. The little girl is totally – and thankfully – oblivious to the women’s flirting, but she looks at Zelda, a worried look on her face: “Mommy, why can’t Mary meet our family? I wanted her to come to dinner!”. Leticia’s eyes are impossibly wide and on the teary side. Zelda caresses her daughter’s head: “Oh, no, Bunny, Mommy was joking! You know how Auntie Hildie always says how impossibly I am, and I don’t want Mary to stop liking me!”

Leticia turns to Mary, seeking for more: “You won’t stop liking Mommy, won’t you, Mary?”

Mary smiles and pat the tip of her index on Leticia’s nose: “Mommy is joking, sweet pea. I could _never_ stop liking her!”

Leticia grins as Zelda blushes: “So, Mommy, can I invite her over for dinner?”

“You may.”

“Mary? Do you wanna come? Our family nights are super funny! Even if we miss Ambrose.”

“Of course, I’ll come, Letty,” she confirms, then she looks at Zelda: “I mean, if it’s okay with you and Hilda. I don’t want to intrude, of course.”

“Don’t be silly. You won’t intrude. Besides, Hilda _loves_ you, and she’s always complaining that I’m never inviting anyone over.”

“Very well, then,” she smiles, as they arrive at cash desk. “Hello. Two adults, and one little girl, please. Along with… hot cocoa, Letty? Right? Zelda?”

Letty nods her approval and Zelda says she’s feeling a bit on the candy cotton's side. “We can share one, if you’d like,” the brunette suggests, looking at Zelda in a way that’s pure lava. When the redhead nods, Mary looks at the old lady waiting for them to decide: “Along with one hot cocoa and a blue raspberry candy cotton for the lady.”

The old lady nods: “That would be $ 30, thank you. And may I say you are a very beautiful family.”

Leticia smiles and burst an enthusiastic “Thank you!” even if she doesn’t get the true meaning of the sentence. Both women blush and Mary busies herself with her wallet.

“So, how does this work?” she asks, just to break the ice and ease away the wrinkles on Zelda’s forehead, holding her ice skates in one hand and their candy cotton in the other, watching as Zelda ties up Leticia’s. She doesn’t even have time to warn: “Stay where I can see you!” that the little girl is flying on the rink, happily sipping at her cocoa. She sighs and turns to Mary, who is picking absently at the candy cotton. She breaks a piece and offers it to Zelda.

“Sit down, so I can help put them on,” the redhead suggests, gesturing to the ice skates Mary’s holding in the other hand.

“Do you want to eat this, first? We can sit and watch Letty, maybe chat a bit.”

Zelda nods and both of them sit down on the bench. The redhead shivers slightly and immediately Mary scoots closer, gently reaching out to run her hand up and down the other woman’s back. “Are you feeling cold?” she asks, her blue eyes searching for Zelda’s emerald green.  
“Not much. You?”

“I’m fine like this,” Mary assured her, unconsciously biting her bottom lip and offering another piece of cotton candy, while Leticia calls from the rink: “Mommy! Mary! Look what can I do!” and spins around, her honey hair flying in the November wind.

“This is so nice,” Mary comments, sighing contently.

“It really is,” Zelda agrees.

Mary wants to tell her more, wants to tell her how much just being there, sitting next to her, is something really close to perfection, wants to tell her that being so close to her makes her feel less afraid. Instead, she says nothing.

When they’re done with their dessert, Zelda kneels and gently removes Mary’s stilettos. The picture is out of a dream: the weather, cold but not frosty, yet, the smell of chestnuts and hot chocolate in the air, the delighted cries of Leticia spinning on the ice. And Zelda, the smell of her hair at every wind blow, her cold, white hand on Mary’s naked ankle.

“All done,” Zelda announces, standing up. Mary’s face is frozen with fear and Zelda chuckles a bit: “Don’t let me go,” she murmurs, and Zelda was about to reply when Leticia squeals: “’Brina!”

Mary and Zelda turn, and here they are: Sabrina, Theo, Harvey and Roz, faces red for the cold, grinning with their ice skates in hands.

“Letty!” Sabrina calls back, but then she turns to her Aunt: “Hey, Auntie Zee! Hey, Ms. Wardwell!”

“Hello, Ms. Wardwell, Ms. Spellman,” the other guys greet, somehow embarrassed. They are a sight to see, Mary is sure: she is dressed way nicely that she uses to in school, and Zelda’s hands are strong and firm on her hips, the redhead resting behind her, her chest almost making contact with her back.

“Hello, guys,” she breathes as Zelda smiles politely. Sabrina is finishing changing her shoes and slides on the rink, immediately taking Leticia’s hands and making her spin around, the little girl laughing with excitement. Theo and Harvey follow Sabrina, but Roz feels the need to make conversation: “Are you having a nice night?” she asks, clearly embarrassed.

“We are, dear, thank you,” Mary replies, a sweet smile on her face. Unconsciously, one of her hands travels up to squeeze one of Zelda’s, still on her side. Roz beams at the redhead: “Letty has grown so much! I swear she looks bigger every time I see her!”

“She is,” Zelda grins, always in a great mood when the topic of the conversation is her little girl. “It looks like she’s going to be tall!”

“Well,” Roz smiles again, “I’m going to join the guys. See you later!”

“Embarrassed?” Zelda asks Mary, linking an arm around her waist. “Copy what I do and we’ll be on the rink in no time.”

“Like that’s going to be easy,” Mary mutters. “And no, I’m not. Why should I be?”

Zelda lets go of Mary, securely holding on the metal fence, and takes two spins, a smile on her face.

“You enjoy this!” Mary grins. Zelda looks relaxed, excited and entirely beautiful.

“I do,” she nods. Then she goes back to the main topic: “Well, your students spotted you on… I’m going to say on a date, but I’m still not sure this is a date.”

Zelda curses herself when she feels her cheeks redden but she guesses she can’t help it. Mary’s smile widens: “I’d love to be closer to you for this conversation, especially considering that we established that you _do_ like physical contact.”

Every time Mary flirts, a part of Zelda goes into flames. Not to mention _which_ part.

“Don’t exaggerate,” she retorts. “I’m going to help you take a few steps just because you need to learn.”

She takes Mary’s hands and helps her on the rink, taking a few tentative slides with her. She moves around her and hugs her around her waist again.

“So? Do you like physical contact?”

“So? Is this a date?”

Mary laughs: “I’ll answer your question if you answer mine – hey, hey, easy!”

Zelda holds her closer. “Don’t worry. Keep your balance slightly off, bend slightly forward.”

Mary’s cheeks get impossibly red at Zelda telling her to _bend_. She slips her arm around Zelda’s neck and turns in her arms, holding on to her.

“Do you want it to be?” she says, looking in her eyes. “A date, I mean.”

“What do you meant when you asked me?”

“I did say date, didn’t I?”

They are interrupted of course, by Leticia approaching them: “Mommy! Mary! I want cuddles too!”

She bumps against Zelda and throw her little arms around them.

“Mary, pick me up!” she demands then, and Mary bites her lip: “I’m sorry, sweet pea, I’m barely keeping a balance alone…”

“What’s up, Girlfriend? Are you tired of skating? Where is your cousin?”

Leticia points to Sabrina, laughing and skating with her friends on the other side of the rink. “I’m not tired, I wanna skate with you!”

“Come on, hold Mommy’s hand. I need to stead Mary with the other arm.”

“I can help Mary too!” Leticia assures as she grabs Mary’s hand. The brunette looks tentatively at Zelda, who blinks at her: “You’ll be fine.”

Mom and daughter take Mary’s hands and slowly guide her on the ice.

“I’m not going to fall in front of my students,” Mary mutters, grinding Zelda’s hand.

Zelda is about to tell her that she isn’t going to let her fall, when Sabrina calls for Leticia and Letty lets go of Mary’s hand to go to her cousin. Of course, Mary completely loses her balance but before hitting the ground, Zelda straightens her, and all that happens is Mary scratching her hand on the ice ground (even her pride is scratched in front of her students and the woman she likes.)

“Mary!” Leticia cries, hurrying back to the brunette. “I’m sorry, it’s my fault!”

“It’s nothing, sweet pea,” Mary comforts the child, as Zelda grabs her injured hand: “Let me have a look. Leticia, love, Mary just scratched her hand. There is no need to cry.”

“Seriously, Letty! It’s nothing!” Mary smiles, even if her hand does hurt a little bit.

“Mommy, please, kiss Mary’s hand all better like you do to me!”

Mary blushes furiously and Zelda is about to tell Leticia that she won’t do it, but the hopeful look on her daughter’s face is too much. She turns to Mary, locking eyes with the brunette as she raises her hand and kisses the white, cold flesh. Mary’s skin is soft and scented and looking into her blue, deep eyes, Zelda feels something she has never, ever felt before in her life. If she doesn’t know better, she would guess she is in love, but Zelda Spellman has never, ever fallen in love, not once in her life. Not even with Faustus. She was completely smitten by him and he had crushed her without second thoughts. Falling in love is out of the picture, for her.

“All better, Mary?” Leticia asks, eyes big and bright.

“Yes, love, it is,” Mary smiles. “You mom’s kisses are magical.”

* * *

Mary drives Leticia and Zelda home after an hour, the little girl napping in the back seat as the two women chat quietly.

The brunette stops her car in front of the Spellman Mortuary but neither of them seem incline to say good night, yet.

Mary looks at Zelda, leaning comfortably against the headrest. “What are you doing tomorrow?” she quietly asks.

“Nothing special. Sleeping in, reading, Hilda is definitely going to bake a cake.”

They look at each other, without saying nothing more. Zelda really wants to do it, she wants to ask her to come over for cake, tomorrow, but has never felt more afraid.

Their moment is ruined when Leticia murmurs: “Mommy? I’m tired, I want my bed.”

“I should bring her inside,” Zelda murmurs. “Thank you… for everything. It’s been a marvelous night.”

“A marvelous _date_ ,” Mary corrects her, and leaning over, she kisses Zelda’s cheek: “Good night, Tough Gal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, Letty is about to spend soooo much time with Auntie Hilda in the next updates :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First: dinner at the Spellman's. Second: Zelda realizes something BIG.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: Mary complaining about her students not understanding Middle Age is me. All day. Everyday.
> 
> A quick - but very full of affection - thank you to Didi, Lilithfeminaprima, who helps me on a daily basis with my writing shit. Hail Lilith.

The following week is extremely busy for both Mary and Zelda. This is the text week, at Baxter High, so Mary spends her mornings watching students doing their texts and writing their essays and her nights marking them, and pouring herself frustrating glasses of Martini because some of them couldn’t simply understand Middle Age lifestyle, no matter how many times she had talked about it in class.

Zelda, on the other hand, had been busy between the mortuary, helping Sabrina with her Spanish and French texts and looking after Leticia, who spent the first two, three days of the week with a bad cold.

They don’t have time to see each other, but they’re secretly counting the days until their “family dinner” on Saturday night.

They _are_ texting each other, anyway, which is the news of the week. The first one had been Zelda, deciding to text Mary a short and shy _Hey Mary! Leticia and I wanted to wish you a good week. See you soon!_ as well with a selfie of the two of them wearing matching sweaters. Which, of course, had been Leticia's idea one morning during breakfast, and Hilda had squealed so loudly Zelda had almost chocked on her coffee. Mary had immediately replied – _Look at you two, my beautiful girls! Can’t wait to see you this weekend!_ with a yellow heart emoji – and they hadn’t stopped. Each morning, one of them sends the other a quick text, and on Wednesday night, bolder than ever, after two glasses of Martini, Mary calls Zelda on the phone. The redhead is in the parlor with Sabrina, helping her translating a Spanish essay (she swears her niece has no sensibility for foreign languages whatsoever), when Leticia runs in from the kitchen, holding up her mom’s ringing iPhone.

“It’s Mary!” she announces, a bright smile on her face.

“Thank you, baby,” Zelda replies taking the phone and fretting to get up: “I’ll be right back, Sabrina. Try an go on alone, if you can.”

“Don’t worry, Auntie, go talk to your girlfriend!”

Zelda is about to accept the call, but she takes the time to roar a “Honestly, Sabrina,” before saying: “Hello?”  
“Hey, Tough Gal,” Mary’s sweet voice greets her. Zelda collects her pack of cigarettes and her lighter and marches on the porch, realizing just how much she has missed Mary’s voice during that crazy week.

“Hey, Mary,” she murmurs back, curling into her favorite armchair and lightening a cigarette.

“Is this a bad moment?”

“No, not at all. I was helping Sabrina with her Spanish, but I sneaked out to have a cigarette. How are you? How are the texts going?”

“Ugh,” Mary groans. “Please, don’t ask. Why people just _don’t_ understand Middle Age? It’s the most fascinating time _ever_! Why is so hard to get why women were burned? I spent hours and hours talking about it, I made them read about it, and nothing! I’m not talking about your niece, obviously,” she quickly adds but Zelda isn’t listening because she is laughing hard. “Oh God, I love when you turn all nerd,” she confesses, and Mary blushes furiously: “Oh. Look who’s talking, the girl who knows thirty languages!”

Zelda laughs even harder: “Exaggerating much, aren't we?”

“Listen, where’s Letty? I’m almost disappointed she hasn’t demanded to talk to me, yet.”

“She’s baking with _Auntie Hilda_ ,” Zelda explains, mocking the _Auntie Hilda_. “They’re making Sachertorte,” she explains in a perfect pronunciation. Mary feels a thrill walk by her back, but she’s starting to get used to it. Everything about Zelda gives her thrills, nowadays.

“Listen to you, showing off. Do you speak Austrian as well?”

“That was German-Austrian,” Zelda replies, her voice low and husky. “But it’s just the name of a cake.”

“Mmmh, I love that cake,” Mary moans, and Zelda gulps. “Do you want to come over after dinner? For a slice of it?” she asks on an impulsive wimp.

“Zelda, honey, I would _love_ to, but I can’t. I need to finish some work for tomorrow.”

“Oh, it’s okay,” Zelda immediately says back, trying to hide her disappointment. It’s one of the basics of her life: every time she tries to step out of her comfort zone, it retorts to her face. Probably Mary can feel that something is off, because she adds: “There is nothing more than I would love to do than seeing you, tonight. I just want this week to be over so I can focus just on you and that pretty little lady of yours.”

Despite everything, Zelda smiles and forces herself to go back to lighter topics: “Are you still finding time to read?”

“Yes and no. I try to read a bit in bed but I usually crush with my light on after a couple of pages. Are _you_ reading anything interesting?”

“No, that was what I wanted to talk about. I read everything I have in the house and I don’t know what I want to read, now. So, if you’d like, I was thinking you could accompany me and help me pick something.”

Mary’s heart bursts into her throat. Was Zelda possibly asking her out on another date? At the bookstore of every places!

“I’d love to,” she assures. “Maybe you can come along on my usual Sunday morning plans? We can go out for breakfast and then hit the bookstore.”

“Sounds marvelous, Mary, thank you. I’ll ask Hilda or Sabrina if they can stay home with Leticia.”

“She can come, if you want,” Mary suggests, even if she is hoping the contrary. She is completely enamored with the little girl but the previous date, as much as it has been magical, left her _craving_ for Zelda all to herself. To talk, to flirt, to spend time together just the two of them.

“No, that’s fine. We can do something just the two of them, if you like.”

“Are you asking me out on a date, Ms. Spellman?” Mary asks, throat dry. She’s feeling wild and intoxicated and, to be quite honest, Zelda’s husky voice doesn’t help. She wishes for the redhead to be there with her, she longs to have Zelda’s body pressed up against her own and their mouths fused together.

“What if I am?” Zelda replies, equally bold, even if every alarm in her brain is going off.

“If you are, I’m gladly saying yes. I want nothing more than to share with you my Sunday usual!”

“It’s settled, then,” the redhead smiles, pleased with herself.

Leticia and Hilda call for her loudly from inside the house, so loud that Mary hears them as well: “Do you have to go?”

“Yes, I guess my free time is over,” Zelda sighs, getting up. She doesn’t want to say goodbye, yet.

“I don’t want to hang up,” Mary confesses, as if she can read Zelda’s mind. The redhead’s breath catches in her throat. “I promise I’ll text you before bed,” she whispers.

She craves for them to see each other, on Sunday.

* * *

The Spellman house is buzzing with excitement.

Hilda has on her best polka-dotted red dress, hair on point, her light-blue eyeshadow brighter than ever. Apron on, she’s placing the final touches to her special dinner.

Zelda doesn’t know much about Mary’s food liking, after all, they just had one dinner together and, in that situation, she hadn’t come out as excessively picking. Sabrina isn’t of much use either, and Zelda had to text her the night before and ask if there was any particular food she didn’t like. Of course, Mary had replied that she eats everything, so Hilda had decided on meatloaf, baked potatoes, and of course Sachertorte. She is currently making bruschetta to go as appetizers with a delicious bottle of white wine Zelda had picked up that morning.

Sabrina is literally dancing across the kitchen, stealing pieces of food when Hilda isn’t watching and singing songs with Leticia. The little girl is the picture of happiness, with jeans, a blouse and hair up in a ponytail, constantly asking when Mary is going to arrive.

In that moment, Zelda makes her entrance in the kitchen, clearing her throat and declaring: “Hilda, I think I might be slightly overdressed.”

Three heads turn in her direction: she's wearing a black, short-sleeved, fitting knee-length dress. Her make-up is light on her eyes, with a dark-pink matte lipstick. Her hair is down in usual waves, pinned on one side. She’s wearing a multicolor, matching necklace and earrings.

“Zelds, love, you look _perfect_!” Hilda squeals, and Sabrina and Leticia beams: “You look so hot, Auntie Zee!”, “Mommy, you’re super super pretty!”. For good measure, Leticia flies in her mother’s arms, hiding her face in her neck. Zelda holds her close, stroking her back and tugging at the end of her ponytail.

When Mary rings the doorbell, Sabrina runs to get it, and Zelda keeps her daughter close to her hip, her arm around Letty’s little shoulders.

“Ms. Wardwell is here!” Sabrina announces theatrically as she enters the kitchen with the brunette. Mary is wearing a black suit with high heels and her white coat, and she’s all smiles. “Good evening,” she greets happily, passing to Hilda the bottle of wine and the flowers she’s carrying. The blonde puts it all to the kitchen counter, freeing her arms to embrace the other woman: “Hi, love. I’m so happy to have you here!”

“I am, as well. Thank you so much for having me.”

“Mary!” Leticia cries, leaving her mother’s hug to throw herself at the brunette. Mary picks her up and makes her spin a little. “Hello, sweet pea! How are you?”

“I’m okay! I had the busiestest week ever!” she tells dramatically as Mary fumbles in her purse and pulls out a comic: “I know, your mom told me over the phone! But I have something nice to help you unstress a bit.” She passes the comic to the little girl, who squeals excitedly: “Mommy! Mommy! A little book!”

“That’s a comic, Girlfriend,” Zelda explains, laughing softly. “It’s a story, but it’s drawn, instead of written.”

Leticia flicks through the pages: “Oooh, so colorful! I love it! Thank you, Mary!” she gifts the brunette with a breathtaking smile, kisses her quickly on the cheek, then runs to her cousin to show her her gift.

Finally, Mary and Zelda lock eyes. “Hey, you,” Zelda greets, embarrassed and without a clue on how to act in front of her family. After the week of flirting over text messages and talking on the phone at night, she doesn’t know where she stands with the brunette anymore. She wants to hug her and kiss her cheek, but she has no intention of doing anything of the sort in front of Hilda and Sabrina.

But Mary, thank God, is bolder than her, so she reacts out and takes Zelda in her arms, kissing the side of her head and whispering into her ear: “You look so beautiful, tonight, dear.”

“You too,” Zelda replies, feeling already weak in the knees, and steps back, eyes glistering.

“Let’s open the wine, shall we?” Hilda suggests, feeling rather emotional: she has never seen Zelda happier, more in tune with someone, before Mary Wardwell came into their life.

“I’m dying for a glass,” Zelda groans, sliding on the nearest chair. “What a week!”

“Aw, poor you,” Mary sympathizes, moving to sit next to her and then asking Hilda: “Is it all right if I sit here?”  
“Of course, love, the sit next to Zelda is yours to take,” Hilda smiles, as to underline Mary’s right to stay close to Zelda, bringing the bruschetta to the table.

Leticia and Sabrina take their places as well, Leticia sitting next to Mary and smiling at her adorably.

“You good, sweet pea?” Mary murmurs, and when Letty nods and raises her face, she kisses her freckled nose. “Freckled cutie,” she grins, tickling the little girl’s chin.

“You know, Mary, that freckles are the only thing I have like Mommy?” Leticia tells, biting on her bruschetta and spreading tomatoes’ pieces all around her plate. Mary turns to Zelda: “Do you have freckles?” she asks, her cheeks red.

“Under my foundation,” Zelda confesses, embarrassed beyond all meaning.

“She wears glasses too,” Hilda offers, and Zelda shoots her a dirty look: “ _Hildegard_!”

“I want to see them!” Mary gushes, and Sabrina raises her eyebrow: she would never have guessed she would see her History teacher and her Auntie fall in love, and yet... Ms. Wardwell is mesmerized with everything Auntie Zee says or does, always looking for her expressions, and Sabrina could sense the sensual tension from where she is sitting. Well, leaving to the side the gross stuff, she is very happy. They make a perfect match.

“You are not seeing my glasses, Mary Wardwell,” Zelda declares, looking at Mary dead in the eyes.

“And why not?”

“Mommy, why don’t you want Mary to see your glasses?” Leticia asks, eyes bigger than ever. She is so sensitive Zelda can’t help but smile: “Because Mommy looks ugly in them, Bunny,” she explains, blinking at her daughter. Leticia is comforted by Zelda’s peaceful expression, and Mary tugs at her ponytail and tells her: “Your Mommy is silly, sweet pea!”

The dinner goes by pleasantly.

Mary praises Hilda’s cooking, chats with her, cuddles Leticia, cuts her meat, discusses with Sabrina the latest book the girl has read. She is the perfect guest, and all of this while smiling at Zelda, watching her, occasionally asking her questions.

At some point, Leticia burst out: “Mary, Mary! Guess what!”

“What, sweet pea?” Mary asks, a sweet smile on her face. Zelda watches the interlude between the two intensely, perfectly knowing what Letty is about to announce.

“Next Friday is my birthday!” she squeals excitedly.

“I do remember that!” Mary retorts happily, leaning closer to Leticia. “Mine is three days later!”

“How come you know it?” Leticia asks, confused.

“Your mommy told me,” Mary explains, and Leticia grins at her mother with adoration. Then, she tells: “We’re gonna have our pjs party and then me and ‘Brina and Uncle Cee and Auntie Hildie are going away!”

“That’s so cool, sweetheart,” Mary says, then looks at Zelda, lost. The redhead chuckles: “We have a family dinner with finger food and pizza in the parlor while wearing our pjs, something that she’s normally _not allowed_ to do,” and Zelda throws a warning look at Leticia, who is the spitting image of innocence. “She’s usually showered with presents and then Hilda and Lance take their nieces on a little weekend trip.”

“Since I had my birthday last month,” Sabrina underlines. “We’re going to Lake Michigan,” she grins.

“Can you come to my party, Mary?” Leticia asks, big, beautiful pleading eyes.

Mary looks at Zelda again and the redhead smiles: “It would be nice. If you’re free, I mean.”

The light in Mary’s eyes when she replies “I’d love to come” doesn’t leave any doubt on Hilda and Sabrina’s mind that there’s nothing more Mary would rather do.

Dinner takes longer than it usually would, and when Hilda brings the cake to the table, Leticia has taken residence on Mary’s lap, her head resting comfortably on the woman’s collarbone. Zelda reaches out to run a finger down her daughter’s nose: “Are you sleepy, Bunny? Do you want to go to bed?”

“Not yet, Mommy. Can we and Mary watch Harry, please?”

“Why don’t you two take the baby in the parlor? I’ll get you your cake and coffee in a moment,” Hilda suggests, and Zelda shrugs and agrees. She gets up, leading the way to the other room, Mary following closely, Leticia in her arms.

The room is warm from the fireplace, and nicely cozy. Zelda sits on the couch and gestures to the spot next to her to Mary. The brunette sits close to Zelda, their thighs touching, and Leticia lays down on their laps.

“Which movie do you want to watch, Letty?” Zelda asks, grazing her little girl’s cheek with her fingertips. Leticia hums contently: “The first.”

“The first it is,” Zelda agrees, turning on the TV. She looks at Mary and whispers: “I’m sorry.”

“What about?” Mary’s head is resting against the headboard and her face is impossibly close to Zelda.

“About constant Harry Potter movies, and dates with a five-years-old, and family dinners and everything else.”

Mary gazes down at Leticia, already napping.

“She’s worth it,” she murmurs. Then, she locks eyes with Zelda: “You both are. You are _so_ worth it.”

Zelda’s face gets closer to Mary’s, and the brunette closes her eyes sighing softly as Hilda enters the room: “Here you go! Oh, Lord!” she gasps when she sees them that close. “I’m so sorry.”

“You didn’t interrupt anything,” Zelda assured her, voice throatier than ever, putting some space between herself and Mary.

The brunette is as red as the cushions on the armchair, but she murmurs a “Thank you” when Hilda puts down on the coffee table a tray with a big slice of cake, two forks, and two cups of coffee.

“Let me put this cutie down for you,” she tells her sister, and gathers Leticia up in her arms carefully.

“Auntie Hildie,” Leticia yawns, half asleep, rubbing her face into Hilda’s bosom.

“Let’s get you tucked into bed, my love.”

“Good night, Bunny, Mommy loves you!” Zelda calls after her daughter, but she’s already asleep.

“She’s worn out,” Mary comments. “If you want to go tuck her in, I can wait for you.”

Zelda does. She feels slightly guilty about not being there for Leticia like she does every night, but she doesn’t want Mary to think that she doesn’t care about her being there.

“No, there’s no need. She’s with her Auntie, who spoils her even more than I do.”

They exchange a smile, then Zelda reaches for their dessert.

“Your sister got that we like to share desserts,” Mary murmurs, and Zelda looks at her with a sweet smile on her face. She clears her throat and asks: “Do you want to watch something else?”

Mary smiles brightly: “I’d love to. I mean, unless you don’t want to go to sleep.”

“My date for tomorrow morning will hopefully allow me to sleep a little longer,” she says flirtatiously, unconsciously biting her bottom lip. Mary immediately blushed: “I think she’ll let you _sleep_ as much as you want.”

Zelda slips off her high heels, curling her legs under herself and flicks open the Netflix app. She scrolls through the selection and asks: “Would you rather watch a movie or a series?”

Mary copies Zelda’s position, scooting closer to the redhead. She points to a series: “That sounds interesting. I was reading a bit about it the other night.”

“ _The Hunting of Bly Manor_ ,” Zelda reads. “Works for me.” She reaches over to scoop a forkful of cake and feeds it to Mary, the gesture apparently innocent.

They share the dessert silently, drinking some coffee every few bites. Mary realizes they’re using just one fork, passing by between the two of them. They watch the series, and when they’re done eating, Zelda looks tired. Mary curls into a corner of the couch and opens her arms to the redhead: “Do you want to cuddle for a little bit?”

Zelda is definitely a straightforward person, but that blunt statement coming from Mary, always so sweet and shy, leaves her speechless. She knows she’s acting like a fool: they’ve been flirting for ages, now, and Zelda should expect their physical contact to increase, so to speak. Not to mention that she _aches_ for Mary. For her touch, her perfume. The feel of her fingers on her hands, on her face or her thighs.

She feels shy, as she gets closer to Mary, and Zelda Spellman _is not_ shy.

The brunette takes her in her arms and Zelda lays her head on Mary’s chest. The brunette kisses the red, scented head so close to her face and murmurs: “That’s nice. So, you’ll be all alone next weekend?”

Zelda hums contently: “You bet. I’m always a little worried when Leticia’s not with me, but I’m _craving_ the relaxing time.”

Mary doesn’t reply. She wants to ask Zelda to do something with her, on her birthday, but that should probably be Zelda, the one to ask. Mary is just utterly stupid around the redhead and she’s sure of this, by now.

None of the two dares more: they stay like this, enjoying the cuddles and the warmth.

After a little while, Sabrina enters the room intending to wish Zelda and Mary good night, but she gets distracted by the show.

“Oh, this looks nice!” she comments, leaning to support herself against the top of the couch with her arms, her face really close to Mary and Zelda.

Mary tenses a bit, but Zelda doesn’t move from the embrace, she just says: “Yeah, it is.”

Sabrina watches ten minutes of the episode, then squeezes Mary’s shoulder: “I’m going to bed. It was so nice having you here, Ms. Wardwell.”

“For me as well, Sabrina. I’ll see you Monday at school.”

“Of course. Night, Auntie Zee!”

“Night, darling. Could you please just see if Leticia is okay, on your way to bed?”

“Of course.”

The girl hops upstairs and Zelda sighs, snuggling up in Mary’s hug. The brunette caresses her arm, slow and nice, up and down.

“You ok?” she murmurs, mouth really close to Zelda’s hairline. She is constantly afraid that Zelda would ask her to step away, but she just hums a content “Yes,” and the brunette sighs in relief.

“You’re quite cuddly for someone who doesn’t like physical contact,” she teases her softly.

“Again with this,” Zelda complains. “I don’t know what gave you this idea but it’s not true. I mean, I know I’m kind of an ice queen, but –” she pulls her body up a little and turns to look at Mary.

“Hey, hey, come back here,” Mary protests, reaching out to take the redhead into her arms. “And you’re not an ice queen, Zelda, not at all. I just assumed, probably. You tensed the first time I touched you.”

“That’s because I wasn’t expecting it,” Zelda retorts, the eyerolling obvious in her voice, but she cuddles again in Mary’s arms. “Anyway, I lied, ok? You’re right. I _hate_ strangers touching me.”

Instinctively, Mary’s hold becomes slack, but Zelda crosses her arms and hugs Mary to her back. “I said _strangers._ I lo- I like when you touch me.”

Mary sighs deeply and squeezes Zelda in a bear hug (or something that would have been a bear hug, if she wasn’t so tiny), kissing her head.

“I’ve told you, Mary. I’m not good with people. I barely manage with Leticia, Sabrina and Ambrose, and sometimes I’m horrible to Hilda.”

“ _Zelda,_ ” Mary interrupts her, whispering her name in her ear. “I told you once and I’m telling you again: _you sell yourself too short_.”

They stay quiet for a while. Hilda stops by to wish them a good night and asks Mary to come back soon, smiling to herself when she sees them cuddling.

After eternal minutes of the show – an episode ends and another one starts -, of the fire crackling, of their breaths almost in synch, Zelda repeats: “This is really, _really_ nice.”

“Best second date ever,” Mary agrees, testing the word _date_.

“Was the previous one a date? I mean, does it count with a five-years-old chaperoning?”

Mary laughs softly: “Did you feel charmed?”

Zelda blushes and thanks God that she and Mary aren’t facing each other right now. “Yes, I did.”

“So, it was a date. And this is the second one. And it’s even better.”

“That’s because my sister is an amazing cook,” Zelda elicits, but feels Mary’s lips on her hairline again. Not kissing, just _brushing._

“That’s because we’re cuddling on the couch. And because of the meatloaf, yes.”

They both laugh and Zelda wants to turn and kiss Mary on the lips. She finds herself craving the brunette like she had never craved anyone. _Ever_. She is anything but a prude and enjoys a good roll in the sack, with men _and_ women. Hilda says she’s not picky and she couldn’t agree more. If Mary was another woman, she would have kissed her and sneaked her hand under her blouse in no time. But Mary is not another woman, she’s _Mary_. Sabrina’s favorite teacher, Hilda’s friend, Mary who loves milkshakes and brings Leticia comics. Mary who cuddles and kisses Letty, and calls her _Sweet Pea_ , Mary who is a Ravenclaw and copes with everything Harry Potter just to make Zelda’s daughter smile. Mary who holds her, kisses her hair, the side of her face. Mary who smells amazingly, Mary who reads historical novels in the sun on Sunday morning. Mary and their first, second, and - tomorrow - third date.

Mary, and she’s terrified.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is someone still reading this? :')  
> I hope you're still enjoying the journey. There's a lot more stuff meant to happen and some one-shots not in any chronological order but related to this that I'd want to post. I'm thinking about turning this into a series and calling it Family Portrait, maybe.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Autumn. Sunday morning. A date at the bookstore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... it just took me more than forty pages.

It’s 3 AM and Zelda is wide awake.

She had rolled in bed since she had walked Mary to the front door two hours before, kissing her on the cheek and agreeing to meet her the next morning at 9 at Dr. Cee’s. Mary had looked at her with longing and kissed her again on the cheek before walking to her car.

Zelda gets up and reaches for her robe. She quietly leaves her room and stops at her daughter’s. Watching Leticia sleep calms her. It always does. She breathes on Leticia smell, listens to her calm breathing. Then she goes downstair for some tea. Okay, maybe even better for a glass of whiskey. She gets into the kitchen and starts rooting the cabinet where she keeps her liquor.

“Zelds?” Hilda whispers behind her, startling her.

“Hilda! Holy hell!”

“Sorry, Zelds. Are you okay? What is it?”

“Why should it be something?” Zelda takes time, and gestures to the whiskey: “Want some?”

“No, love. I’ll make some tea. You’re drinking in the dark at 3 AM, Zelds. It must be something.”

Zelda slides on her usual chair and sighs.

“It’s Mary, isn’t it?”

Out of the blue, Zelda bursts into tears.

_Zelda Spellman never cries._

She didn’t cry when she and Faustus broke up, she didn’t cry when he hit her, she didn’t cry when she had to fight for Leticia’s custody in court, she didn’t cry when he died six months after their divorce.

Zelda had seen her cry just once, in their adult life: when Edward died. She tears up about Leticia, _very rarely_ , but crying? Never.

“Oh, sweetheart,” Hilda murmurs, circumnavigating the table to go comforting her sister. She hugs her and caresses her hair, and Zelda clings to her, sobbing. “Ssshhh, it’s okay. It’s nothing, my love, it will pass shortly. Breath, darling, breath.”

With sweet whispers and warm caresses, Zelda calms down, after a while. She dries her face with the tissue Hilda passes her, and sniffles.

“Is it Mary, isn’t it?” Hilda asks quietly, and Zelda nods and sobs again. Just one, heartbreaking sob.

It takes a while to Hilda to calm her sister down again, but when she does, she sees the Zelda she knows, the one always cold, impetuous and severe.

“Yes, it is Mary,” she vocally confirms, like Hilda would have any doubts.

“What about her?”

“I don’t know, exactly. I just… I feel things I don’t think I should feel.”

Hilda drops a lavender teabag into her steamy water and waits. She knows exactly Zelda’s _problem,_ but she also wants her sister to figure it out herself.

After a few minutes of silence, Zelda sips on her whiskey and continues: “We’re getting…closer.”

“Have you kissed yet?”

“No,” Zelda shook her head. And then, something unusual happens – as if all of this isn’t already – and Zelda _blushes._ Hilda is used to Zelda speaking freely about her sexual life since they were teenagers, and now she’s blushing at the thought of kissing Mary Wardwell. “I mean, not on the lips. She kisses my head, and my hair, and my cheeks,” she further explains.

“Oh, Zelds,” Hilda breathes. “This is so sweet. But I’ve interrupted you, haven’t I?”

“It doesn’t matter, we wouldn’t have kissed anyway. I’m a coward and I’m terrified.”

“Feelings tend to do that, love.”

“I feel – I’ve never ever felt that before. I’ve never… Satan in Hell, I’m scared even to say it.”

“That you’ve never been in love?” Hilda softly suggests.

“I don’t know if it is _that_ , what I feel.”

“Oh, sweetheart,” the blonde laughs. “You definitely are. But – not even with Faustus?”

“God, no,” Zelda retorts, making a disgusted face. “I married him because he wanted me to and because I wanted Letty.”

“Oh, Zelds,” Hilda breathes, squeezing her hand. “I know you’re scared. Because you’ve never felt this, before, and because… well, because of how it was with Faustus. But Mary is pure sweetness and she is crazy about you and Leticia.”

“You think so?” Zelda asks, a glimmering hope in her eyes.

“Of course,” Hilda smiles. “Just…let yourself go and see where it goes.”

Zelda laughs sarcastically. “Come on, like you don’t know me.”

“I do know you, sis. I do. But I just have a feeling this could turn into something amazing.”

* * *

The following morning, Zelda shows up for her date with Mary a nervous wreck. When she woke up, her eyes were bloodshot for the late drink and the tears. Her contact just refused to stay on and five minutes before being utterly late, she had put some extra make up on and decided to wear her glasses. She feels ridiculous, as she parks her car and spots Mary entering the shop. She had told Mary the night before she would never be allowed to see her with her glasses on and now, she’s showing up with them _on a date._ But her eyes sometimes do that, and she can’t do anything about it except for swallowing her pride and going inside. She’s wearing a deep green blouse with black pants and high heels, of course, an outfit simple enough for a Sunday morning.

She spots Mary immediately, and sighs.

“Morning,” she greets when she’s close enough. Mary is wearing a burgundy dress with a black cardigan, her hair up in a bun, and she looks good enough to eat.

“Zelda!” Mary exclaims, standing up and opening her arms for a greeting hug, but she suddenly stops when she looks at Zelda’s face: “ _Zelda_! You’re wearing _glasses_!”

“I know,” Zelda replies, rolling her eyes. “This morning my contacts wouldn’t stay on. I guess I’ve been punished for what I said last night.”

“You look…” Mary breathes, stopping mid-sentence. “You look extremely tempting, darling,” she concludes, blushing deeply but reaching out to hug Zelda regardless.

Zelda buries her face in Mary’s scented neck and sighs deeply. She feels the brunette pressing a kiss to the side of her head and she breaks the hug, offering a sweet smile as she sits down, in front of the brunette.

“Did you sleep well?” Mary asks, immediately reaching out to squeeze Zelda’s hand, finding impossible to stay away from her, from her warmth.

Zelda makes a vague sound and asks the same question: “You? You forgot to text me when you got home, last night.”

“I’m sorry,” Mary smiles. “I just took a shower and went to bed immediately.” It rarely happens, but Mary loves when Zelda gets needy. Mary is starting to love a great number of things about Zelda Spellman, and the more she loves, the more she gets scared.

“Have you eaten, yet?” the brunette asks, reaching for a menu.

“No, I thought we’d eat together,” Zelda replied, shrugging. “I definitely want eggs.”

“Eggs it is. Would you like to eat something else? We can share.”

“It’s a habit, now,” Zelda comments, peaking over Mary’s menu. “A salmon and avocado bagel?”

“Sounds so good!”

A waitress approaches, a thirty-something blonde woman, t-shirt impossibly tight on her florid breasts, tall, nice smile, big brown eyes. She is definitely nice but Mary notices immediately how she looks and talks to Zelda: softer, sweeter, almost reverently. She doesn’t say anything different to what she says to Mary – _sounds good, would you like anything else?, I’ll be ready for you shortly_ – and yet, the brunette feels threatened. Of course – she is nothing to Zelda, and she looks like a casual friend, from the outside. The world _doesn’t know_ how she feels about Zelda, how her heart _aches_ just looking at her emerald eyes. The world doesn’t know, and Zelda doesn’t either. Which is even worse.

“Has something upset you?” Zelda asks her, her eyes looking for the reason of her suddenly strange behavior.

“No,” Mary denies, because she doesn’t really know how to explain what she’s thinking, what she’s _feeling._ She tries with the conversation, pushing the annoyance aside. “So, what would you like to read?”

“I don’t know,” Zelda shrugs. “Have you read anything good recently? The last time I had time to read something which wasn’t Harry Potter, it was _The Handmaid’s Tale_ , I think.”

“Oh, Margaret Atwood!” Mary exclaims, her eyes shining. Zelda grins: she absolutely _loves_ nerd Mary. “Did you enjoy it? I love her.”

“Yes,” Zelda replies with conviction. “I never wanted it to end.”

“They recently published the sequel; did you know that?”

“No! I will definitely buy that,” Zelda says casually, as the waitress comes back and – Mary definitely sees it! – blinks at Zelda.

“Here you go, love,” she says chirpily, letting the plates slide on the wooden surface of the table. “Eggs, the bagel, the two coffees and the orange juices. Enjoy!”

Mary can’t help it: the words are out before she even _thinks_ them. As the waitress strolls always, she spats: “I’m sure she would enjoy _you_.”

“Mary Wardwell!” Zelda exclaims, between laughter and shock.

“I’m sorry, but she was salivating all over you!” Mary explains, her cheeks red for both embarrassment and anger. “I was totally expecting her to write you her phone number on a napkin!”

“Mary!” Zelda exclaims again, trying to calm her. She grabs her hand and squeezes: “I didn’t even notice, okay?”

“Impossible. Blonde and big boobs: _everyone_ would have noticed.”

“Are you fishing for compliments?” Zelda asks, raising an eyebrow, a smirk on her lips.

Mary, who is about to eat a forkful of eggs from Zelda’s plate, stops abruptly: “What?”

“I was asking if you are fishing for compliments. I mean, you can’t be this stupid, can you?”

“Are you calling me stupid?” Mary frowns.

“Mary. You’re stunning and I’m not complimenting your breasts at a diner’s table but you’re not… exactly _flat_. And I’m on a date with you, right? I’m not going to check out a waitress in a diner.”

Mary is speechless. She feels her cheeks blush furiously, but she doesn’t care: she can’t let go of Zelda’s eyes.

“Now eat your eggs,” Zelda prompts, biting on her half of the bagel. “I want to go book shopping.”

It takes Mary five minutes to be sure she’s not going to drop dead on the table for a stroke, and then she comes back to the small talks, asking about Leticia.

“She wasn’t feeling well, this morning,” Zelda tells her. “She was fussy and complained about her tummy aching.”

“Oh, poor sweet pea.” Then, a dreadful thought crosses Mary’s mind: “Don’t you think – I mean, she’s not thinking I’m taking you away from her or something like that, isn’t she?”

“Oh gosh, no!” Zelda dismisses with emphasis. “She doesn’t. She’s crazy about you, believe me.”

“As I’m crazy about her,” Mary smiles. _And about you,_ she thinks, but she’s too much of a coward to say it out loud.

This time is Zelda the one to pay the bill. And as the blonde waitress picks up the card, the redhead slides an arm around Mary’s shoulder and brings her close to her.

“Thank you, darling,” the brunette says softly, kissing Zelda’s temple tenderly. She’s enjoying this too much for her own good, and she almost grins when she notices the blonde’s annoyance.

As they walk out of the restaurant and into the sunny street, Zelda lets go of Mary’s shoulders but takes her hand, instead.

“Is this okay?” Zelda asks, tentatively.

“ _Zelda,_ ” Mary says, surprised. “Of course it is. I – I actually really like this. All of this.”

“I do, as well,” Zelda agrees softly.

They walk hand in hand, dead leaves crocking under their heels.

When they enter the bookstore, the owner – a nice man, about seventy years old – greets Mary warmly. Zelda kind of expects her to let go of her hand, but Mary shows no intention of letting go.

“Hey, Mary, sweetie! How was your week?”

“It was good, thank you. And yours?”

“Same old. Who is this stunning lady you have here?”

“This is Zelda.”

“Don’t you two look cozy,” Joe grins, and Zelda grins back: “I feel pretty cozy.”

“Shush, you,” Mary tells her, and Zelda swears she could _melt,_ if she actually was the melting kind.

“Zelda is out of books, so we’re going to take a look,” Mary explains to Joe.

“Make yourself at home, ladies.”

Mary pushes Zelda toward the central aisle: “We can find Margaret here, come on.”

By the time Zelda is browsing _The Testaments_ , Mary has already collected a little pile for herself. Zelda just stares at her, admiring how she smiles, scrolling down the covers.

“You should give this a try,” she suggests at some point, thrusting in Zelda’s hands a copy of _Abide with Me_ by Elizabeth Strout. “Oh, and we need to get this for Letty!”

Zelda spots _The Witches_ by Roald Dahl. “I think I’ve read it? I don’t really remember.”

“Then you didn’t,” Mary declared. “No one reads this book and doesn’t remember about it.” And without further words, Mary places it on top of her pile. Zelda chuckles softly and Mary looks at her: “What?”

Zelda shakes her head but takes a step closer to Mary. She places both hands on the brunette’s tiny waist and whispers: “I think I’m going to kiss you, now. So, if I read this all wrong, if you don’t want me to, stop me right now.”

Mary looks deeply into her emerald eyes, her heart pounding in her chest.

_This is happening. This is finally happening._

“Kiss me, you fool,” she whispers softly.

Zelda doesn’t need to be told twice: she slides her arms around Mary’s waist and brings her as close as humanly possible. Mary sighs, caressing Zelda’s shoulder with a hand and toying with an end of a red curl with the other.

Zelda leans closer, enjoying the feeling of Mary standing this close and of the thrills running down her back. She brushes her lips against one of Mary’s sharp cheekbones, then against the tip of her nose, as she loses her hand in Mary’s curls. Then, Zelda finally kisses Mary.

It’s just a brush of lips, at first: once, twice. Three times. Then, Mary hums in appreciation, and Zelda claims her mouth: they kiss each other like they had wanted since that first meeting at Baxter High. It’s just been two months and to both Mary and Zelda seems a lifetime ago. Zelda tastes of coffee and bacon and something else, something purely hers, and Mary gets weak in her knees.

They hug, and kiss, and Mary opens her mouth, and Zelda lets their tongue dance together, slowly, deeply. It’s passionate but not hurried, like they just know this is going to be the first of many kisses and they don’t have reason to hurry.

Zelda squeezes Mary’s waist as the brunette grasps her neck with both hands, sucking slowly on her delicious lips, ruining the lipstick. Zelda’s glasses are pretty much in the way, but Mary doesn’t care, she’s just loving anything about this moment: she loves Zelda’s glasses, the taste of her kisses, this store, this morning, her whole life.

As some point, they break the kiss, the need to breath greater than any passion.

Zelda doesn’t manifest any intention of breaking their embrace as well, and Mary links both arms languidly around Zelda’s neck, hiding her face under the redhead’s curls, inspiring her scent and kissing the skin of her throat softly.

“My sweet girl,” Zelda breathes, caressing her back.

“Finally,” Mary murmurs, kissing her neck again, a path of kisses to Zelda’s mouth.

They peck each other’s lips, repeatedly, emerald in blue, smiling widely at each other.

“ _I_ am about to kiss you, this time,” Mary whispers, and leans close to claim Zelda’s mouth again without waiting for her reply, grabbing her hips rather forcefully and bringing her close to herself. She slips her tongue into Zelda’s mouth and the redhead gladly accepts it, caressing it with her own. When they hear a noise on the other side of the shop, they break apart, suddenly remembering that they aren’t alone. They blush and exchange a shy smile and both of them wants to jump the other again.

“Let’s go back to the books,” Zelda suggests, picking up their pile and starting to spy the covers again.

They go back to their shopping, but after the kiss, the physical contact increases: Mary sneaks an arm around Zelda’s waist as she reads the first pages of a feminist essay, resting her chin on her shoulder as the brunette sniffles the red curls.

“Do you like it?” she murmurs, the arm around Zelda’s waist unconsciously tighter.

“Mmmh, yes,” Zelda breathes as Mary kisses the skin of her neck, under her ear. “ _Stop_ ,” the redhead hisses.

“Why?” Mary asks playing innocent.

“Because it’s better if you don’t turn me on in public,” Zelda growls.

Mary hums and strokes Zelda’s neck with the back of two fingers: “Oh, it’s good to know how sensitive you are here,” she whispers, and she is about to bite Zelda’s ear when she breaks away and hisses: “ _Ma-ry!_ ”

“Ok, ok, I’ll stop,” Mary surrenders, raising her hands.

Zelda looks at her intensely.

“What?” Mary asks, a shy smile dancing on her lips.

“I feel so…strange when I’m with you,” Zelda tries to explain, biting her lip, definitely smearing her lipstick already half-gone after the heated kissing. “I feel comfortable and scared, at the same time.”

Mary nods, never leaving her eyes. “I feel this way as well.”

Zelda shrugs: “Well, it’s just a feeling. It doesn’t matter. Let’s get our shopping done, if you don’t mind – I have to get back to Leticia.”

“Certainly,” Mary nods.

It ends with Zelda buying four books for herself, and one for Leticia. Mary choses two as well (she has a little pile on her nightstand waiting to be read but, in that moment, she doesn’t exactly care). Zelda pays for her books and for Mary’s, even if she tries to argue.

“It’s not necessary,” she says, putting her hand on Zelda’s wrist, to stop her from opening her wallet.

Joe waits patiently, looking with crescent curiosity at what it’s surely going to be a lovers’ quarrel.

“Nonsense,” Zelda retorts. “Can I buy you a book?”

“It’s two books.”

“And you paid for dinner _and_ ice skating, for both me and Leticia. Let go of my wrist, darling.”

It’s the first time Zelda calls Mary any pet name and maybe it’s out of surprise that she leaves Zelda’s wrist. The redhead pays from their purchase and smiles at Joe: “I hope to see you again,” she tells him, and Mary nods: “You will.”

When they step back into the sun, Zelda draws Mary’s books from the paper bag and hands them to the brunette: “Here you go.”

“Thank you,” Mary smiles, accepting the books and leaning closer to leave a shy kiss on Zelda’s cheek.

“Not to rain on your parade,” Zelda starts, her usual smoky look. “But we kissed, back there. You could as well thank me with a proper kiss, if that’s not too much bother,” she suggests, and Mary laughs out loud before throwing her arms around Zelda and kissing her breathless.

“It’s been a marvelous morning,” Zelda breaths, biting Mary’s lips.

“Mmmh, Zel- _da_ ,” Mary moans. She steps back and gains some control: “It’s been great for me as well. Well, except for the blonde who wanted to pick you up in the bar.” 

“And yet I left with you, didn’t I?”

“Clever girl,” Mary grins, and leans closer. She reaches up and fixes a lock of Zelda’s hair. “You are so beautiful,” she whispers. “Of course women wants to bring you home.”

“I’ll just go home with you,” Zelda whispers. She glances at the wristwatch: “But not now. My other woman is waiting for you.”

Mary laughs and Zelda kisses her smile, cupping her face. Mary groans and when Zelda breaks the kiss, she asks: “Do you have time to hang out for a bit, this week? Before Leticia’s birthday, I mean.”

Zelda think for a second: “I have a pretty busy week ahead – but maybe…” she hesitates.

“Maybe?”

“I mean, I do have a plan, but I don’t think you would enjoy it.”

“Well, tell me,” Mary insists.

“I have a ticket for a high-school basketball game in Riverdale. It’s for charity and well, it’s just a local team, but they say they’re good. And I was thinking of going…”

“Why do you have two tickets?”

“They gave me two with the offer I gave them,” Zelda shrugged. “So…”

“We go to a basketball game? And what do we do?”

“Well, we go there, we watch the game, we have beer and maybe eat a hot-dog or some pizza.”

Mary wrinkles her nose. “Okay,” she nods.

“Okay?” Zelda repeats, puzzled. “Okay as in, go and have fun, or as in I want to come with you?”

Mary laughs and tugs at a handful of Zelda’s hair, bringing their mouths together again: “I want to come.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was it worth the wait? ;)


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary Wardwell out of place at a basketball game.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little fill-in chapter picturing Zelda and Mary being utterly adorable.  
> Please, tell me if Mary is a little ooc at the end of the chapter - I need it in order to picture Zelda's issue better, but you'll learn more in the following chapter.  
> Lemme know what you think :)

_I want to come._

Yes, better said than done.

Mary Wardwell doesn’t know anything about basketball; she doesn’t like school’s gyms very much; she isn’t sure she likes beer (she had beer just a couple of times in her life, usually going by wine or Martini) and doesn’t really know how her wardrobe would fit on a local basketball game.

And yet, she loves Zelda Spellman. She is _in love_ with her and would do anything to spend time with her, to get to be close to her, to smell her perfume, to kiss her mouth again.

Well, okay, all nice – loving Zelda, wanting to be with Zelda, stepping out of her comfort zone to be with Zelda. But she needs to be ready for the night and she doesn’t know _how._

She is a school, absently staring at the coffee in her mug during recess, when Sabrina, appearing out of nowhere in the busy hall, calls: “Ms. Wardwell?”

Mary’s head snaps up: “Oh! Sabrina. I didn’t hear you, I’m sorry. Do you need anything?”

“Well, I was about to ask you the same question. You’ve been distracted, lately.”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Mary shrugs.

Sabrina raises an eyebrow: “It’s this about your incoming sport-related date?”

“And what do you know- oh, of course. You live with Zelda.”

Mary sighs and drinks her coffee.

“Well, I heard Auntie Zee mentioning this to Auntie Hilda, and I just thought you don’t look so much into sports.”

Mary snorts: “That’s an understatement. She was just… so happy about this.”

“You really care about her, don’t you?” Sabrina asks, a wide smile on her pretty face. Mary just nods but doesn’t say anything. The right answer, however, would be a correction. She doesn’t just _care_ about Zelda… she loves her.

“And I don’t absolutely know what to wear,” she confesses, because at the end of the day, she needs to tell this to someone. Sabrina smiles: “That’s pretty easy. You wear something simple: jeans, slacks, something comfortable.”

“Okay,” Mary nods, but she’s not even sure she owns a pair of slacks or jeans. She needs to get new clothes. “And on top?”

“Whatever you like. A blouse, a t-shirt with a cardigan, a sweater. And comfortable shoes! Heels are not allowed.”

Mary looks at Sabrina with wide eyes: “Are you telling me Zelda will be wearing flats?!”

“Yes,” the girl grins. “Aunt Zelda owns an entire sports closet.”

_From bad to worse…_

* * *

That’s actually the best Mary could do.

She looks intently at herself in the mirror, studying the outfit and the hair. She’s wearing a high-waisted pair of black pants, a lace corset with a black leather cardigan and her hair are down and straight. She just hopes Zelda will like it, as she fumbles around the room, applying her lipstick and checking the content of her purse. The strangest feeling comes from her shoes: she’s wearing a pair of stringless black sneakers that in the shop looked rather cute, but on her feet, she’s not so sure.

Anyway, she hears Zelda’s car pulling outside her cottage and she knows she has no time left: she has to go outside and face Zelda. Weird outfit and all.

Zelda is waiting for her, leaning against her car, wearing a pair of jeans, white sneakers, a leopard-print sweater with puffy shoulders and a black teddy coat. Her hair is up in an elegant, neat bun and Mary feels like going to that game, wearing flats and drinking beer are worth the sight of Zelda in that moment.

“Hello, darling,” Mary greets her, closing the door and walking to Zelda.

“Don’t we look hot,” Zelda comments, biting her bottom lip. “I don’t know if I like the hair or the top better,” she adds, looking directly at Mary’s collarbone, left bare by the low-cut top.

“You look gorgeous,” Mary offers as well, her throat impossibly tight. She puts her hand on Zelda’s neck, bringing their faces close and kissing her on the mouth.

Zelda moans immediately, sucking on Mary’ lip and sliding her tongue into the brunette’s mouth.

“I’m so happy to see you,” Mary smiles as soon as they break the kiss, and hugs Zelda spontaneously, holding her close to her body, just enjoying the feeling of the two of them together.

As soon as they break apart, Zelda pecks Mary’s lips: “Are you ready?”

“Definitely. Let’s go.”

They get into Zelda’s car and start their journey to Riverdale, Mary’s hand on Zelda’s thigh while she asks about Leticia.

“She spends her days reading _The Witches_ , you know,” Zelda tells her, a wide smile on her face. “She tells everybody you got her that.”

“But it was you, the one paying for it,” Mary points out, grinning.

“Yes, but the sentiment was yours, and money means little when you’re five.”

They exchange a shy smile.

“She was extremely disappointed she wasn’t invited to the game, you know,” Zelda adds after a few seconds of silence.

“Oh, my sweet pea! Now I feel guilty because I wanted to keep her mommy all to myself,” she sighed, playfully squeezing Zelda’s thigh.

“Minx,” Zelda grunts.

“Does she like basketball?” Mary asks, playing innocent.

“Leticia? God, no. She hates sports and is constantly scolding me for loving them. She just said we can’t have a date without her,” Zelda laughs.

“She is so precious,” Mary grins. “I definitely have to make up to her.”

“Yes, you have,” Zelda confirms. Why a random, simple conversation is making her feel this… needy? She wants to kiss Mary again, to feel her curves against her owns. She sighs. Thankfully, Mary is still talking about Leticia and Zelda tries to stay concentrated.

“I know I always tell you this, but I really love your little girl,” Mary is saying, smiling softly. “And you are… so soft, around her.”

“I’m not soft,” Zelda immediately roars back, approaching the high school and looking for a parking spot.

“Of course you’re not,” Mary mocks her. “You’re my tough, tough gal,” she whines, bending toward Zelda to place a kiss on her scented cheek. Zelda turns her head just in time for them to kiss on the lips, and Mary smiles on her mouth: “I’m not allowed to kiss your cheek anymore?” she asks, the ghost of a giggle in her voice.

“Shut up,” Zelda groans, capturing her mouth once again. “I can’t stop kissing you,” she says in between kisses, and feels Mary’s hands caress her waist, trailing up her sides.

“I don’t want you to,” Mary replies, biting on Zelda’s bottom lip. She really, _really_ wants to caress Zelda _everywhere_ , but she steps back and takes a deep breath, looking at Zelda’s red lips.

“We have to go,” she tells her, smiling widely. “Or you’ll miss your game.”

“So, how does this work?” Mary asks, looking around. Thankfully, the place is warm, and they’re sitting rather comfortably on the stands, and Zelda is fumbling trying to put her Gucci wallet back in her purse, a pint of beer precariously balanced in her other hand. Zelda raises her head and smiles at Mary, who looks out of place with her legs crossed and a glass of beer – smaller than Zelda’s – in her hand, watching the starting game in a puzzled way.

“Well,” the redhead starts, pointing a finger to the field. “It can get tricky if I have to explain you the screens and the fouls and what not, but let’s see about the basics. Do you see that line there?”

Mary nods: “Yes,” she confirms, and slides closer to Zelda, which promptly circles her shoulders with her arm. “Shooting from outside the line is worth three points, inside is two.”

“Pretty easy,” Mary nods, and snuggles in Zelda arms, raising her head to brush her lips against the redhead’s jawline. “Something else I need to know?”

“You have until that little clock near the hoop stops ticking to shoot or the other team gets the ball.”

“And what’s our team?”

“We don’t really have one- _SHOOT_!” Zelda shouts, making Mary jump in the air.

“Oh my,” she whispers, and Zelda laughs and hugs her: “I’m sorry! I get really worked up while I watch sports.”

“Maybe it’s not the best idea to cuddle while watching a basketball game,” Mary shrugs and is about to break the hug, but Zelda keeps her close. “Well, I’ll try not to make you fall off the stand.”

“That would be nice,” Mary grins.

Of course, not even ten minutes into the game, and Zelda is shouting, stamping her foot on the ground, and constantly moving her arms – to incite the players and to curse them as well. The perfect little imagine of them, snuggling together and watching the game quietly, runs off Mary’s mind. Anyway, she has to admit that it’s rather nice: the vibes are funny and relaxed, and Zelda is so beautiful Mary can’t take her eyes off of her. At some points, she is just sitting facing her, chatting amiably.

“Did you go to the games when you were young as well?”

“Yes,” Zelda nodded, her eyes following the ball. “With my dad and Edward, my brother.”

“I can picture you, you know?” Mary smiles. “With your freckles and your red pigtails,” and playfully grabs a lock of Zelda’s styled hair, escaped from the bun’s tyranny, tugging it gently.

Zelda flashes her a big smile and leans in for a quick kiss on the lips, that Mary promptly turns into something deeper, grabbing her face and biting down on Zelda’s bottom lip.

“And…” Mary hesitates a little, but Zelda is following the game and doesn’t notice. “It’s something you did with your ex as well?”

“No,” Zelda replies curtly, but softens her voice immediately: “Faustus didn’t like this part of me much. Well, he didn’t like _any_ part of me much.”

Mary scoots close again, and this time is she the one putting her arm on Zelda’s shoulders.

“What’s not to like?” she whispers rather seductively, and for good measure she kisses the corner of Zelda’s mouth.

The redhead hums and then decides to explain: “Boney shoulders, chubby thighs, fat tummy, small breasts. Oh, and of course, stubborn, impulsive, bad attitude.” She shrugs. “I can go on for quite some time.”

Mary grabs her face and kisses her, another time, two, ten more – she brushes her nose with Zelda’s and whispers: “I can’t wait to see it all. And I love your stubbornness.”

Zelda looks at her with big, teary emerald eyes and hugs the brunette, hiding her face in her neck, breathing deeply in her scent. She wants to tell Mary everything about Faustus, she really does. Not now, of course. Not now – she breaks apart, eyes now dry, the moment passed.

“Hey,” Mary tells her, her face sporting a big grin as she goes through her purse and pulls out her phone. The game is loud around them, but they just have eyes for each other. “Why don’t we take a picture?” she asks.

“This is the most random thing _ever_ ,” Zelda chuckles. “But yes, I would like that.”

Mary puts her arm around Zelda’s waist as she holds her phone out with the other hand. Zelda hugs the brunette around her neck, and they hold their faces close as Mary snaps the pic. Then, she turns her face to Zelda’s, and kisses her cheek as she takes another one.

“Those are lovely,” Zelda comments as Mary opens her gallery to check her work.

“You are,” she whispers, but the team scores and Zelda stands up, shouting.

“You didn’t even see the action,” Mary laughs, pulling at her arm to put her back on the stand. “What are you shouting at?”

“It’s a reflex, I’m sorry,” Zelda laughs. “Yet, the game is over and I haven’t seen it because you kept distracting me.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Ms. Spellman,” Mary replies, her tone dripping sarcasm as they put their jackets back on and slip outside, in the cold night. Immediately, their hands search for each other and they link between their bodies.

When they reach Zelda’s car, Mary turns to face her and wraps her arms around Zelda’s waist, under the opened coat. “Do you need to go home?”

“We haven’t eaten, yet,” she points out, putting her arms around Mary’s neck. They simultaneously get closer to share a brief but sweet kiss. Then, the brunette slides her hand up Zelda’s side and briefly caress her breasts through the sweater.

“Hey!” Zelda exclaims, stepping back and looking into Mary’s blue eyes, puzzled.

“Sorry,” Mary grins. “They are wonderful, darling. I kept glancing at them and I couldn’t help myself.”

“Are you _mental_?” Zelda asks her, raising an eyebrow. “ _You_ were glancing at _my_ boobs? And yet, I’ve seen mirrors at your place!”

Mary can’t help but laugh and kiss her, over and over.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy birthday, Leticia!  
> In which Mary starts to figure out Zelda's issues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was so big I decided to split it in two parts! two things: first, thank you to my amazing friend Claudia for helping me with Letty's gifts. Second: I've made a IG fandom/fanfiction instagram account called madamnovelist so come and say hello :)  
> there's a little bit of body shaming in this chapter - yes, Faustus, of course.  
> Hope you enjoy!
> 
> If you want to listen to the song Zelda sings to Leticia, it's called Viceversa by Francesco Gabbani, and yes, it's in Italian.  
> I've had the shittiest day ever, can I beg for comments? ;)

Zelda’s door bursts open and a little, warm body with freeze foot jumps in bed with her. Immediately, Zelda reaches for her daughter: “Happy birthday, Girlfriend!” she slurs, her voice still sleepy. But this, waking up _like this_ , it’s the best feeling of her life.

Leticia hugs her mom as tight as she can, her face hidden in Zelda’ breasts. “Thank you, Mommy,” she hums contently, as the redhead caresses her hair and her back, inhaling deeply her little girl’s scent.

“Mommy loves you, Bunny, so much. You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” Zelda tells her, trying not to cry.

Leticia climbs on top of Zelda, and presses a kiss on her nose. “I love you too, Mommy!” she grins, Zelda tickles her belly and they laugh freely. They roll on the bed, tickling and laughing, Zelda covering Leticia’s face with constant kisses.

The mother-daughter moment is interrupted by Zelda’s iPhone, ringing on her nightstand. She reaches out – Leticia not moving from her position on top of her – and grabs it.

“It’s Mary,” she grins at Leticia.

The little girl sits up next to Zelda and grabs the phone.

“Frame just yourself, baby, won’t you?” and Leticia nods.

The iPhone’s screen shows Mary’s face, make up perfectly applied, nude lipstick, glasses on her nose, her hair curling around her face. She’s clearly ready for school and Zelda’s heart fills with want.

“Mary!” Leticia grins widely.

“Hello, sweet pea! Happy, happy, _happy_ birthday, baby!”

“Thank you, Mary!”

“I wanted to wish you happy birthday before school,” she tells her, voice sweet and soft, a tone Zelda now knows belongs only to Leticia. “What are you up to?”

“Mommy is driving me to school today and we’re gonna stop for donuts first!” she tells excitedly.

“That’s marvelous, baby. And where is that pretty mommy of yours?”

“I’m here, Mary. Hi!” Zelda greets, gesturing to Leticia to _not_ frame her.

The answer arrives in Mary’s worried voice. “Zelda? Where are you, sweetheart? Can I see you?”

“No, Mary. I’m sorry. I don’t have any make-up on, and I just woke up. I’m not a pretty sight to see. I’ll see you tonight!”

Mary wants to argue but decides against it and drops the subject. “I have to leave for school, but your gifts and I will see you tonight!”

Leticia’s eyes lit up: “You have presents? For me?”

“Of course,” Mary chuckled. “Such a pretty girl deserves _tons_ of birthday gifts! I have to go, sweetie. I love you!”

“I love you too, Mary!” Leticia chirps, the picture of happiness.

“Bye, Zelda,” Mary adds, not entirely convinced.

“Bye Mary. Have a good day at school. I’ll see you tonight.”

* * *

Zelda gets Leticia ready for school and drives her into town, stopping for donuts as promised. The little girl is having the time of her life, being showered with kisses and songs by the whole family at breakfast.

Zelda really wanted to wait for Mary, to give Leticia her presents, but they honor their tradition of opening them on Skype with Ambrose and the boy can afford some free time just after lunch. Leticia unwraps some amazing Harry Potter-related gifts ( _of course_ ): Hermione Granger’s wand from Sabrina and Ambrose, a black backpack from Hilda with the Hogwarts crest in gold (perfect for their little trip) and the Lego Hogwarts castle from Zelda, which she had desired desperately for months.

To tell the truth, Leticia loves every present and showers Hilda, Sabrina and their MacBook’s screen with kisses, but the castle blows her mind. She jumps in Zelda’s arms, kissing every spot of her face, claim that she’s the greatest, the prettiest, the _bestest_ Mommy in the _whole wild world._

She spends her afternoon on the parlor’s carpet, Gryffindor pjs, fireplace crackling, figuring out with Sabrina how to put the little pieces together.

Mary arrives just around five, a nervous smile on her face, a big purse on her shoulder (in which she had tucked her pjs) and a big tote filled with Leticia’s gifts. She is feeling uneasy – Zelda’s attitude had been strange, lately. Listing her body’s flaws during the basketball game, her reaction when Mary had grazed her breasts, and of course what happened that morning. Mary understands what it means to feel ugly, the fear of being unwanted, but she had made it pretty clear that she is completely taken by Zelda’s looks. And at the end of the day, Mary wanted, _craved_ to sleep with Zelda. Not just for the sex part – even if her toes curled at the mere thought of having sex with Zelda – but for the intimacy that comes with that. Snuggling in bed together, sleeping in her arms, her nostrils filled with her scent. Waking up together, kissing tight-lipped because of morning breath. She was going to see Zelda make-up free and just out of bed, and she couldn’t wait. She now wondered if Zelda felt the same. Maybe she has misunderstood the whole situation? Maybe Zelda is having second thoughts? And yet, she had called Mary _darling_ , that morning.

She takes a deep breath as she rings the bell, and the door bursts open, revealing a smiling Leticia, little feet in fluffy socks, a Gryffindor pajama, honey curls braided on the side of her little face.

“Mary!” Leticia exclaims, literally jumping in the brunette’s arms.

“Happy birthday, Princess!” she says, swirling the little girl around. “Where is everybody?”

“In the kitchen cooking yummy things!” and Leticia grabs Mary’s hand to pull her inside.

“Ms. Wardwell!” Sabrina exclaims, appearing from the parlor, her blonde curls held back by her usual black headband but wearing the same Gryffindor pjs Leticia is wearing.

“Hello, dear,” Mary smiles, and briefly hugs her student. “Something in here smells amazing!”

“Auntie Hilda had gone crazy,” Sabrina explains, getting Mary’s coat. “And Auntie Zee is making margaritas!”

“At a five years old party?”

“You are the one with the crazy girlfriend, not me,” Sabrina grins.

“Sabrina, honestly,” Zelda groans coming in the hall. “Mary is your teacher; you can’t talk to her like that!”

“Sorry, Ms. Wardwell,” Sabrina mutters, and Mary squeezes her shoulder: “Don’t worry dear. You were joking, it’s okay.”

Mary passes Leticia the bag with her gifts and she runs to the kitchen with her cousin, leaving Mary and Zelda alone.

The brunette’s eyes scan every bit of the other woman’s figure. Zelda is wearing a Slytherin silk pjs, green and silver, the chemise leaving the top of her chest exposed. She is barefoot, make-up perfectly applied, curls perfectly styled but both sides are held back.

Mary’s throat goes dry.

“You are a Ravenclaw,” she just points out.

“I’m a hatstall,” Zelda reminds her. “I have both but the other one is dirty.”  
“This brings out your eyes,” Mary comments. “And silver fits you perfectly.”

Zelda smiles and reaches out to hug her, but there’s something unsure in the way she outstretches her arms: “Hello, darling.” Her voice is so low and husky Mary feels her knees go weak. They hug tightly, then Mary leans back a little: “You know,” she starts, her arms around the redhead. “Sabrina called you my girlfriend.”

“That I heard.”

“What do you –”

“Here you are, love!” Hilda exclaims, getting out of the kitchen with her baggy Hufflepuff pjs. “Oh, my, I always interrupt you two.”

“No need to worry,” Mary smiles, stepping back from Zelda to greet the blonde. “We were just saying hello.”

Hilda smiles at them both, cheeks red. “Zelds, love, why don’t you show Mary your room? So she can get her pjs on and then we can all have a drink?”

“Of course,” Zelda nods, and grabs Mary’s hand, leading her upstairs.

It’s the first time Mary ventures to the first floor. The walls of the hall are full of family pictures: Sabrina and Ambrose as little kids; Leticia, sporting big grins and pigtails; Zelda and Hilda as teenagers, and Zelda and Leticia – Zelda and Leticia in their garden, at the beach, riding their bikes, next to the Christmas tree.

The first door has a wooden sign saying _Leticia’s Room_ and Zelda opens the door of the second.

“Here we are,” she announces, and they step inside.

The room is big and sunny, decorated in blue and cream. The wall behind the king-sized bed is blue, like the duvet. The closet is _big_ and cream colored, like the bookshelves. In a corner, there’s a vanity full of make-up and on the nightstand, a pair of glasses, _The Testaments_ , and a frame with a picture of Zelda and Leticia hugging. She looks around, comments on how nice the room looks, but her eyes go back to the nightstand, where she spots, next to the framed picture, another photo, without a frame. It’s their selfie – the picture they had taken at the game, the one where Mary is kissing Zelda’s cheek.

She turns to look at Zelda, eyes full of tears: “Zelda…” she whispers as she reaches for the redhead, throwing herself in her arms.

“It’s just a picture,” the redhead laughs, and she’s somehow embarrassed. “I know it may be a little early, but I just like seeing it there and –”

She can’t finish her sentence because Mary kisses her on the lips, a kiss wet and urgent, one hand in Zelda’s hair, the other on her waist. She kisses her deeply, letting her tongue sneak out and meet Zelda’s.

“Mmmh- Mary,” Zelda moans against her lips and kisses her with much ardor, hands traveling up and down the brunette’s back. As her hand slides down to cup Mary’s butt, the brunette’s hand goes for Zelda’s breasts. Time and space cease to exist, and when Mary is about to slip a hand inside Zelda’s chemise, the redhead breaks the hug.

“It’s better if we go downstairs,” she tells Mary, avoiding striking blue eyes. “I’ll leave you alone so you can change.”

Quickly, Mary takes off her sweater, and Zelda’s breath catches in her throat. Mary smiles at her: “I can change in front of you,” she shrugs.

She’s just wearing a tank top and allegedly her bra, and she reaches down to take off her pants as Zelda looks at her, her eyes travelling through olive, freckled skin. Mary’s body is exquisite: thin and curvy, elegant and strong. Long legs, round boobs, flat stomach.

Zelda’s mouth waters: she wants to fall with Mary in her bed, biting, kissing, licking, loving, praising. But as she imagines the two of them in that very bed, she thinks about her own body.

_Zelda is wearing a silky blue nightgown, short and low-cut, showing off her cleavage and the milky skin of her breasts. She leans against the door between the master bathroom and the bedroom and crosses her legs at her ankles._

_She clears her throat, hoping to catch Faustus’ attention as he’s unbuttoning his shirt._

_“Yes, Zelda,” he says, annoyed. It’s always like this, when he speaks to her: annoyed and as if he’s out of time._

_“Welcome home,” she purrs, and at that, he turns around._

_He raises an eyebrow as he looks at her, up and down._

_“What are you doing?” he asks. Zelda can hear the disgust in his voice but choses to ignore it._

_“Welcoming my man home?” she suggests, smiling in what she supposes is a seductive way._

_“With that thing on?” Faustus says. “It’s a little too tight, dear, don’t you think? You’d need two sizes up, at least. Look at how tight is it around your belly: well, I’m not surprised, considering all the chocolate and the alcohol.”_

_He turns around and discards his shirt, and proceeds with his belt. “Oh, and sweetie?” He turns around and looks at her again: “It’s useless to insist with the low-cut tops. Men don’t get horny by inexistent breasts.”_

“Zelda?” Mary asks the redhead and touches her arms gently. “Sweetheart, what is it?”

Zelda’s eyes are two pools of pain, and yet, she shakes her head: “It’s nothing, Mary. I’m sorry. You look beautiful.”

She leaves a quick kiss to Mary’s cheek and runs downstair, leaving Mary alone and beyond frustrated.

Clad in her silky black pjs, she walks downstairs feeling rather upset but knowing she has to put it aside for Leticia’s sake.

The parlor is full of pink balloons and colorful festoons, and the tables are covered in finger foods of every kind, and one is reserved to the sweets: smarties, marshmallows, and of course an enormous, five-shaped pink cake.

Now, Mary understands what Sabrina meant when she had said that Hilda had gone crazy.

“Mary!” Leticia gasps when she enters the room and runs to her dragging the tote. “Can I open them now?”

“Of course you can, sweet pea. They’re yours, after all.”

As Leticia tears the paper apart, Zelda approaches Mary with two glasses of margaritas.

“Here you go,” she says, offering her one.

“Mary!!!” Leticia screams. “Mommy, mommy, look what Mary got me!” and she pushes in Zelda’s hands a big, fluffy cushion in the shape of a Chocolate Frog, and a plexiglass containing the Marauder’s Map.

“Those are great, Girlfriend,” Zelda smiles, and looks at Mary: “Thank you. It wasn’t really necessary.”

“Of course it was,” Mary replies as Leticia runs to Hilda screaming: “Auntie Hildie! Can I bring the Chocolate Frog to the lake?”

“I love that little girl,” she shrugs.

“Yes, darling, you say that every two hours,” Zelda remarks, smirking and moving Mary’s hair away from her shoulder.

“That’s because she is utterly adorable,” Mary retorts, feeling annoyed and turned on by Zelda at the same time. “And I’m sorry if I love your daughter!”

Zelda laughs throatily, and Mary feels a thrill down her back. She _is_ annoyed and she wants to kiss Zelda more than everything else, and she wonders where they stand, considering Zelda’s family presence, and most of all, _considering Leticia_.

The bell rings.

“It’s Dr. Cee,” Zelda clarifies.

“I kind of expected Hilda’s boyfriend to be here,” Mary says, sipping at her margarita. Something is off: she _senses_ that something is off with Zelda and can’t tell why, and of course there is the family’s matter. Yes, Sabrina had called her _her girlfriend_ , but that doesn’t mean anything.

Dr. Cee enters the room, carrying Leticia at his hip, the little girl holding to her chest a half-unwrapped Barbie.

“Hello, ladies,” he greets, and smiles wider when he spots Mary: “Mary Wardwell! Hilda mentioned to me that you were going to be there. It’s nice to see you.”

“Hi, Dr. Cee,” Mary smiles, and shakes his offered hand. “How are you?”

“I’m fine, thank you. All new. How are you girls?” he asks back, eyeing Mary and Zelda, standing definitely too close to each other.

“We’re fine,” Mary nods, and she wants to take Zelda’s hand but doesn’t.

_How frustrating._

The party is definitely a success: Hilda’s food is amazing, the atmosphere relaxed. Leticia jumps and laughs and plays and begs everyone for kisses, and after two margaritas, even Mary can relax a bit. She takes a sit on the couch and spends the first half of the night chatting with Sabrina, discussing various topics and sharing stories that happened in school. Sabrina feels comfortable with Mary. She’s nice and kind and sweet, a great lecturer, and of course they both have a soft spot for history and literature.

The sentiment is mutual, of course, because Sabrina is definitely Mary’s favorite student: she loves her confident nature, and even her arrogant edges.

They are talking about how Theo had rocked the last basketball game (which, of course, Mary hasn’t seen, because one basketball game per year is enough for her) when Zelda, swaying hips and seductive smile, walks to the couch. She hops down on the arm of the sofa, definitely into Mary’s personal space. She rests her arm on the brunette’s shoulder, nursing her third margarita.

Unconsciously, Mary places her hand on Zelda’s thigh, and Sabrina sees but doesn’t speak.

“Darling, aren’t you drinking a little bit too much?” Mary asks softly, stroking Zelda’s leg.

“It’s the last one, I promise,” Zelda smiles, and her voice is steady and sober. Mary can tell that the alcohol isn’t affecting her.

Sabrina is looking at them with a big grin.

“Yes?” Zelda asks.

“So? Will you tell me what’s going on?”

“I’m not sure I’m following,” Mary says, seriously lost.

“What’s going on with you guys, of course!” Sabrina exclaims. “Are you guys going steady or what?”

“Excuse me?” Zelda roars. “ _Going steady_? I have a child, I’m not eighteen!”

Mary looks at her, deciding to mess with Zelda a little: “Why? Would it be that bad to be my girlfriend?”

“No – I mean – _Mary_!” Zelda stammers hopelessly when Leticia jumps on the couch, on Mary’s lap.

“Hi!” she grins.

“Hey, my love,” Zelda chirps, and leans over to receive a kiss.

“Are you having fun, sweet pea?” Mary asked, stroking Letty’s hair, the braid long gone.

“Yes! This is the bestest birthday ever!” Letty declares, before sighing and leaning against Mary’s chest. The brunette rocks her softly, smiling at Zelda.

“You have to go to bed soon, sweetheart,” the redhead whispers to her daughter. “Tomorrow you have to wake up extra early.”

Leticia likes to receive cuddles from everyone in her family, but when she’s near bedtime, she wants Zelda. She does it tonight as well, and leaves Mary’s lap, outstretching her arms toward her mother. Of course, Zelda picks her up and cuddles her, kissing her cheek and rocking her in her arms. Mary looks at them with longing, finding herself always a little more enamored with Zelda when she sees her with Leticia.

“Are you coming to bed too, ‘Brina?” Leticia murmurs.

“Yes, LettyBear, or tomorrow we’ll be super grumpy!”

The little girl looks at Mary: “When can I see you, Mary?”

“Mary is sleeping here, sweetheart,” Zelda announces.

“Am I?” Mary asks, puzzled.

“She is?” asks Sabrina at the same time. Her teacher and her Aunt dating – or whatever they’re doing – are _definitely_ confusing.

“It’s late,” Zelda shrugs.

“Well, I can easily drive home –”

“It’s cold and late, and you are not going home at such an hour, Mary Wardwell, and that’s final,” Zelda says.

“Looks like you’ve already decided,” Mary snorts, annoyed _again_ and happy at the same time.

“Besides, Auntie Zee will be all alone, tomorrow,” Sabrina considers, faking innocence, because it can be confusing but she was not going to let the occasion to poke both women slip.

“ _Sabrina_ ,” Zelda roars, and Leticia looks at Mary with big, crushingly eyes, and asks: “Mary, are you going to keep my Mommy company while I’m ‘way?”

Mary nods and leans closer to kiss the tip of Leticia’s nose, and as she straightens her back, she ends up leaving a kiss on Zelda’s cheek, for good measure.

“Mary?” Letty asks again.

“Yes, love?”

“Are you Mommy’s girlfriend?” she asks with such an innocent and precious voice Mary nearly loses it.

Zelda’s face loses the little color it normally has, Mary gulps and Sabrina giggles furiously.

“ _Sabrina_ ,” Zelda hisses, and looks in Hilda’s direction, seeking for help, but she’s making sweet eyes at her boyfriend.

She needs to do everything alone, how unusual. Sighing, she stands up, gathering her little girl in her arms. Raising her voice so that Hilda and Lance can hear as well, she announces: “I’m going to tuck this little Bunny into bed. Mary, why don’t you come with me? Hilda, Mary is going to sleep in the guest bedroom, if that’s all right with you.”

“Of course it is, Zelds. Sabrina, love, are you going to bed as well?”

“She is,” Zelda replies instead of Sabrina, and looks at her niece in a way that admits no arguments.

Sabrina flies around, delivering kisses and wishing good night, then she runs upstairs.

As Zelda and Mary climb up the stairs, Leticia asks: “Mary? How come you don’t answer me?”

“I’m going to, love. We’re just going to get you ready for bed, then we can talk.”

She looks at Zelda, hoping that she knows how to handle this.

Leticia asks to be put down as they get to her room, and Mary isn’t surprise that she feels like she’s stepping into the Warner Bros Studios in London. That room is _everything_ Harry Potter.

Leticia places the wand and the map on her nightstand, the backpack on her desk and the cushion on her bed. She gathers her pjs and then she grabs Zelda’s hand: “Am ready, Mommy.”

“Do you want to come along?” Zelda asks Mary, smiling.

The brunette watches as if she’s seeing a movie: Zelda and Leticia move around the bathroom, getting the little girl ready for bed, until she’s showered, teeth brushed, hair dries, and dressed just in a tank top and her panties, Zelda picks her up and places her on the sink, reaching for a brush.

“Mommy! The tradition and _my song_!” Leticia cries, clapping her little hand on the marble surface.

“Of course, baby, you’re right!” Zelda fakes a gasp and puts down the brush.

She starts with Leticia’s hair: “Your hair is beautiful,” and she slides her hand down Leticia’s honey curls. “Your eyes are exquisite,” and she traces her eyelids. “Your face is beautiful,” and she caresses her chubby cheeks.

Mary watches, in silence, and Leticia enjoys her most special ritual, looking expectantly at her mother.

“Your arms are beautiful, and your legs, and your tummy!” and she tickles Leticia, who laughs freely. “And I’m beautiful here too!” Leticia bursts out, and points to her intimate parts.

“You are!” Zelda confirms, and kisses her forehead: “Every bit of your body is exquisite.” She kisses her cheek: “And you have to be proud of every single part of yourself.”

“I don’t have to be ‘shamed o’ myself!” Leticia concludes, and Mary’s eyes are full of tears.

“Now the song!”

Zelda puts her hand on Leticia’s little knees and starts to sing – _in Italian_. She sings in Italian and Mary, who hasn’t heard Zelda sing before, discovers that saying that Zelda _can sing_ doesn’t even begin to cover it.

_Ma se dovessimo spiegare  
In pochissime parole  
il complesso meccanismo_

_Che governa l’armonia del nostro amore_

_Basterebbe solamente dire_

_Senza starci troppo a ragionare_

_Che sei tu che mi fai stare bene quando io sto male_

_E viceversa._

(but if we’d have to explain  
in very few words

The complex mechanism

Which rules the harmony of our love

It would just be enough to say

Without thinking about it too much

That it’s you, that make me feel good when I don’t

And viceversa.)

Leticia sings the last verse, _Che sei tu che mi fai stare bene, quando io sto male, e viceversa!_ and hugs Zelda impossibly tight, giggling loudly. Zelda holds her close, whispering over and over how much she loves her. Leticia looks at Mary, who is now openly crying. It’s done. If she was in love with Zelda before, she doesn’t know what she is now.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary spends the night, Leticia leaves with Hilda and Sabrina and Zelda gets ready for a weekend with a certain brunette.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little fill-in in the middle of the week ♡  
> hope you guys enjoy!
> 
> \- this is so soft you might be toothless at the end -

“Mary!” Leticia exclaims and opens up one of her arms to her (the other one is firmly wrapped around her mom’s neck). “Why are you crying?”

“I’m crying because you two are amazing. And so beautiful. And the song was great.”

She walks toward them and wraps an arm around Leticia’s back and the other around Zelda’s waist. She kisses Leticia’s nose and can’t help herself: she risks and kisses Zelda’s lips, in front of Letty, for the first time. It’s just a gentle peck but the redhead blushes and the little girl grins: “It’s true!!! You are girlfriends!”

“What do you know about that?” Zelda asks, picking up Leticia with an arm and taking Mary’s hand with the other as they go to Leticia’s bedroom.

“’Brina told me all ‘bout it! She told me ‘bout her and Harvey!”

Zelda tucks her in bed and she hugs her Chocolate Frog close as the two women sit on the bed as well.

“Suspend her,” Zelda hisses, and Mary giggles.

“And it means you love not just Mommy but me too, right, Mary?”

“I _definitely_ love you, baby,” and she leans in to kiss her cheek.

“Sleep, now, Girlfriend,” Zelda murmurs, and kisses Leticia as well. “Mommy will wake up with you tomorrow and help you get ready for your trip, okay?”

“Okay. Night Mommy, night Mary,” she yawns.

Zelda walks Mary to the guest room, feeling more awkward than ever.

“If you want to take a shower, you can find fresh towels in the bathroom and you can take whatever you want of my products.”

“Thank you,” Mary nods, embarrassed.

“If you need something else just call me, okay? Good night,” Zelda says, smiling softly. She is about to leave the room when Mary grasps her wrist: “What’s the problem, Zelda?”

“What do you mean?” Zelda asks, looking into Mary’s eyes.

“There’s something going on about you. Don’t lie to me. You… you have been awkward since the night of the game.”

Zelda doesn’t reply, and they stay silent for a couple of seconds, before Mary dares to ask what she fears the most: “Are you having second thoughts about us?”

Her voice is weak and feels the fear attacks her stomach.

“What?” Zelda gasps, eyes wide: “No! Why would you think that?”  
“Because we’re in the same house at night and you were about to go to bed without even giving me a good night kiss?”

Zelda sighs: “Okay. You deserve the truth, I suppose. Let’s just get changed and then we can talk about this in my room, okay?”

Zelda is the first one to use the bathroom: she brushes her teeth quickly and it’s at her vanity, massaging cream on her hands, when Mary knocks softly at her door.

“Come in! Mary, you don’t have to knock.”

Mary stands there, wearing the same black pjs, barefoot. Her face is bare and her hair, still damp from her shower, is curly and combed in a low ponytail. She looks so beautiful Zelda feels her breath catch in her throat.

“I don’t want us to be awkward,” Mary says softly, looking at Zelda. The redhead stands up and walks to the bed, gesturing to Mary to follow her. She gets in her bed and pats the duvet. Mary sighs and sits down, crossing her legs.

“Tell me,” she just says and looks at Zelda expectantly.

“I’m not having second thoughts,” the redhead declares. “I’m just adjusting, I guess.”

“Zelda,” Mary interrupts, grabbing the other woman’s wrist and scooting close. “If it was something I did –”  
“ _No_ ,” Zelda says, sternly. “It’s me, Mary. It’s just me. I told you I’m complicated, and I don’t trust people. And when I try to, there is always something that ruins everything.”

Mary reaches out and hugs Zelda, holding her to her chest, caressing her back. “You can tell me, Zelda,” she whispers, kissing the side of her head.

Zelda breathes. It’s time, and she knows it. “It’s my body,” she whispers.

“Your – what?” Mary asks, breaking the hug but keeping her arms around Zelda. “What do you mean, it’s your body?”

“I don’t want you to see it,” she confesses, looking like she’s about to vomit a frog.

Mary’s eyes are two pools of confusion. “Zelda. This has something to do with me touching your boob, the other day? And you refused to show me your make-up face this morning. You’re still wearing it now…”

“Mary, Faustus – my ex-husband…”

“Where is he now?” Mary asks, still holding Zelda as she speaks.

“Dead,” Zelda breathes.

“Did you love him?”

Zelda shakes her head. “No, I – he was rich, and… I don’t know, it made me feel safe and I thought it would be better, for Letty, you know? Anyway, I was with him just because I wanted Leticia and I thought it would be easier that way. I didn’t want any child, you know? I wanted her.”

“I get it,” Mary says, kissing Zelda’s head.

“And he was… always saying things about how I look.”

“For example?”

“Well, that I am so pale I’m going to my mistaken for a corps…. That I’m ugly without make-up because of the freckles, and because my chin is weird, and my eyes are too big and my face – and that I was fat and my pussy –”

Mary gathers her in her arms and hold her close in the exact moment Zelda breaks down in tears. “Oh my God, love, no,” Mary whispers, caressing her hair. She squeezes her tightly. “Zelda, no.” She feels her eyes water as well, but she knows she can’t cry. Not now.

“Come with me,” she says. She needs to do something to make Zelda, understand, _to make her see._ She stands up and grabs Zelda’s hand, helping her getting up and dragging her to her vanity.

“Sit,” she instructs, pushing gently on her shoulders. She picks up the make-up remover and starts cleaning Zelda’s face, slowly, her eyes never leaving hers. When she’s done, she kneels before the redhead and takes her face between her hands.

“Zelda…” she starts and traces the redhead’s features with her fingertips. “Zelda, darling, you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life. You took my heart the first time you walked in my office. I love your freckles. I love every spot of your face.” And for good measure, she leans close and traces Zelda’s freckles with her lips, on her jawline and on her cheekbones.

“He was a bastard, okay? I’m sorry because he’s dead but he was. You are breathtaking and…” she leans forward and kisses her softly and passionately at the same time.

She kisses and bites and strokes the inside of Zelda’s mouth with her tongue. Without breaking the kiss, she gets up and pushes Zelda toward the bed. They sit down and Mary grabs Zelda’s waist, squeezing where the flesh is softer and suppler. “Zelda, you are so fucking sexy,” she murmurs, biting down her lips. She leans back and, panting, looks at her: “I want you. I want your body, I want your heart and your brain. But we’re not in a hurry, okay? We’ll have sex when you’re ready.”

“But it’s not that,” Zelda whines, suddenly needy. She lays down and brings Mary to lay on top of her. “I’m ready. We can do it right now if you want to, _I want you._ I’m just afraid of how you’ll react when you’ll see me…” Then, she feels the need to clarify: “I’m afraid of when you’ll see me naked.”

Mary sighs and rolls off of Zelda, panting. Then she unbuttons the first couple of buttons of her pajamas and shows Zelda her collarbone and the top or her breasts: “I have freckles too,” she says, letting out a snort. Then, she rolls over and balances her weigh on her forearms. She reaches out, intending to kiss Zelda, and the redhead gets the hint an meets her half-way, swiping her tongue sensually over Mary’s lips. She starts with the brunette’s lips and kisses a path along her neck, reaching the top of her breasts and letting out a moan as she sinks her teeth in the pale, inviting flesh.

Mary wants to prove a point, to tell more, but what Zelda is doing makes her lose sense of space and time and she holds the redhead to her chest, closing her eyes and sighing.

“I want to see you,” Mary breathes when she gets enough control to speak, as she reaches for Zelda’s chemise, taking it off without waiting for approval.

Zelda is left in a sinfully little piece of silk, which should probably be a tank top of some sort, and Mary stops, letting her eyes taking in every bit of her appearance, hair messy, eyes wide, mouth open. Her shoulders are strong, muscles and bones defined harmonically. Her breasts are round and perky and hips full and feminine. The amount of white skin on display makes her mouth water and she slowly reaches out to caress Zelda’s arms.

“You are – you _are_ –” she stops, breathes deeply: “Zelda, darling, I don’t have words to describe how exquisite you look and how much I want you,” she leans closer and brushes her lips with Zelda’s, adding: “And how much you mean to me.”

Zelda lets out a sob as Mary hugs her and kisses herm cupping her breast. “ _These_ are glorious, darling.”

“Look who’s talking,” Zelda laughs throatily, and finishes unbutton Mary’s chemise.

Suddenly, there’s a knock at the door, followed by a sleepy: “Mommy?”

The two break apart and Mary quickly closes up her top as Zelda reaches for hers, saying: “Come in, baby!”

Leticia appears, barefoot, tousled hair, eyes full of sleep. “What are you doing?” she asks, stopping on the threshold.

“We were just chatting for a bit before sleeping,” Zelda explains with a smile. “What’s up, love? Come here,” and she pats the bed between herself and Mary.

The little girl hops on the bed, facing Zelda, as Mary pets her hair and kisses her head.

“Can I sleep with you, since tomorrow I’m going ‘way?” she asks.

“Of course, love,” Zelda whispers and gets under the cover, gesturing to Leticia to do the same. But the little girl, unsure, looks at Mary: “You sleep with us too, Mary?”

Mary gasps and looks at Zelda, who nods.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay alone with your Mommy, sweet pea?”

Leticia shakes her head: “Uh-uh. I want you both.”

Smiling, eyes watering, she gets in bed next to Leticia.

If feels weird, to actually share a bed with someone, after years of loneliness, after _Adam._ Yet, she knows she won’t have time to realize that, tonight, because she’ll be busy realizing she’s sleeping in Zelda Spellman’s _bed_ , cuddling Zelda Spellman’s _daughter._ And of course, the little girl cuddles against Zelda’s chest, but after she makes sure to explain to Mary how she has to sleep: “You can cuddle with me, Mary, and we can keep each other warm.”

Mary lays down and hugs Leticia, squeezing her as she kisses her hair, a great need to cry in her belly. “Night, sweet pea,” she murmurs.

“Night, Mary. Night, Mommy,” the little girl mumbled back, face buried in Zelda’s breats.

“Night, birthday girl,” Zelda breathes before reaching out to hold Mary’s hand on Leticia’s hip. “Night, darling,” she adds, clearly talking to Mary, but Leticia hums: “Night, Mommy,” and Mary chuckles, before drifting off to sleep feeling utterly, stupidly, absurdly happy.

* * *

It’s still early, she knows it without having to open her eyes. It takes her a fraction of a second to realize that she’s tucked in Zelda’s bed, with Leticia snoring softly in her arms. She kind of expect to freak out, at least a little bit, but she doesn’t. She just breathes in Leticia’s scent, thankful to be the one holding this darling little girl close and wishing for the moment she would wake up in the arms of her mother to come soon. She’s ready.

Smiling, she reaches out with a leg, hoping to graze Zelda’s, but she suddenly realizes that the other side of the bed is empty. She opens her eyes, blinking in the dim-lighted room. Before she asks herself where Zelda could be, she hears gagging sounds from the adjacent bathroom. Was Zelda sick?

She moves Leticia, trying not to wake her, but the little girl rolls on the other side and cuddles Zelda’s pillow, sleeping peacefully. Mary gets out and reaches for Zelda’s robe, before tiptoeing to the bathroom.

She softly knocks at the door, but it’s clear by now that Zelda is vomiting, and she can’t hear her. Mary gets into the bathroom and finds the redhead kneeling on the floor, face in the toilet, while she tries to move her curls away and not dirtying them with vomit.

“Oh, darling,” Mary whispers and hurries to Zelda, gathering her hair in her hand and putting the other on Zelda’s shaking back, slowly making circles to calm her.

“Hilda?” Zelda calls, without turning, voice weak.

“No, darling, it’s me. I woke up and you weren’t in bed.”  
“Go away,” Zelda whimpers. “I’m sick.”

“I can see it, sweetheart,” Mary replies patiently, and caresses Zelda’s back as she pukes. The gagging and the vomiting stop and Zelda wipes her mouth with the back of her hand, before trying to stand up.

Mary helps her, wrapping her arms around her to keep her steady.

“I don’t want you to see me like this,” Zelda groans, walking slowly to the sink as Mary stubbornly supports her.

“Don’t be silly.”

“No, Mary,” Zelda replies, trying to be stern even if her voice is weak. “Go back to my room, I’ll be back shortly.”

“I’m not leaving you, no matter how hard you push me away,” Mary whispers, caressing her hair. “What is it, Zelda, dearest? It can’t be something you ate, Leticia and I feel good…”

“It’s probably this 24-hours vomiting bug people are talking about…” she breathes. “Mary, honestly, leave me alone. This is not good for us, you won’t have sex with me after –” Zelda can’t finish because Mary pecks her lips quickly: “Shut up, dear, and brush your teeth.”

“Mary!” Zelda gasps. “Are you crazy? I’ve just puked my bowels out! I’m _horrendous_.”

“Oh, so much fuss for a little puking,” Mary shrugs, as Zelda washes her mouth and brushes her teeth. “And you’re not horrendous. You’re beautiful and I always, _always_ find you sexy.”

She puts her hand on Zelda’s lower back, where the white skin is bare.

“You’d turn me on if I wasn’t feeling like the death.”

Mary wraps an arm around Zelda’s neck and leads her to the bedroom. “Let’s get you to bed, my darling, then I’ll go make you some tea.”

Zelda just groans and rests her head on Mary’s shoulder, too tired to go on with her resistances.

As soon as Mary tucks Zelda into bed, softly pecking her lips, Leticia wakes up: “Mommy?”

Zelda just groans, and Mary smiles reassuringly at the little girl: “Good morning, princess. Your mommy caught a bug and isn’t feeling well. I’ll help you get ready for your trip, okay?”

Leticia nods but instead of getting out of bed she scoots closer to Zelda, who is half death but strong enough to wrap her arms around her daughter.

Mary is about to leave the room when Hilda knocks at the door: “Zelds?”

“Come in, Hilda, we’re awake,” Mary says, embarrassed beyond meaning, and when Zelda gets in, she exclaims: “There she is!,” grinning at her niece.

“I slept with Mommy and Mary!” Leticia declares from Zelda’s arms, and in that moment, Sabrina’s head peeks out. “Morning!” she chirps, and blushes when she sees Mary: “Uh. Hello, Ms. Wardwell. Have you slept… _here_? In my Aunt’s _bed_?”

“Sabrina, we’re dating, cut the crap,” Zelda groans from the bed and chuckles softly when Leticia scolded: “Mommy, you said a bad word! And don’t be mean!”

“What’s the matter, Zelds?” Hilda asks puzzled.

“She’s caught that 24-hours bug, have been vomiting for a while,” Mary explains for her.

“Oh Zelds, I’m sorry! Do you want us to stay home?”

Zelda doesn’t even reply, she just makes a dismissive gesture with her hand, but Mary squeezes Hilda’s shoulder reassuringly. “Don’t worry, I’m going to stay with her.”

“You’re not,” Zelda groans from the bed. “Go home, I can take of myself.”

Leticia sits up and shoots a dirty look at her mother, one that shows exactly how she definitely _is_ her mother’s daughter.

“Mommy, I don’t wanna go t’the lake if you gonna stay home ‘lone,” she slurs.

“She’s not, sweet pea,” Mary reassures her. “Do you want to come with me and have breakfast?”

Leticia runs out of bed and joins Mary.

“Pancakes are ready,” Hilda grins, and Leticia and Mary go downstair, the little girl still instructing the brunette about not being allowed to leave Zelda alone.

After making sure that her sister isn’t going to die anytime soon and that Sabrina is about ready, Hilda marches downstairs to relieve Mary. The brunette goes back upstairs with Zelda’s tea and some toasts.

The redhead is napping in the middle of the bed, and Mary places the tray on the nightstand. She sits on the bed, watching Zelda sleeping and feeling her breath catches in her throat. She is so beautiful, so perfect, and Mary’s heart aches as she remembers Zelda crying as she told her about her ex-husband. She traces with her eyes the little wrinkles next to her eyes, the perfect curve of her nose, the mole on her temple. She’s make-up free and fragile, and Mary just feels the utter need to hold her, to rock her, to take care of her like nobody else ever has.

_The magnificence of being in Zelda Spellman’s bedroom in the morning…_

She lays down, close to Zelda, their foreheads, noses and knees almost touching. She doesn’t want to wake Zelda, but she can’t help herself and she dares place little, butterfly kisses all over Zelda’s face. Once, twice, ten, a hundred time, then she stops.

“Go on,” Zelda orders, not opening her eyes. “Don’t stop.”

Mary grins and slides an arm around Zelda’s waist, kissing her lips softly. “Zelda Spellman liking my kisses and my cuddles. Who would have known?”

“Shut up and kiss me before I have to get up to vomit again.”

“You know how to keep the romance alive,” Mary chuckles, kissing her again and again.

Hilda leaves with the girls an hour later, Zelda gathering enough strength to overwhelm her sister with recommendations and shower Leticia with kisses and hugs, _I love yous_ and _I’m gonna miss yous._

She spends her day in bed, alternating napping and vomiting. She’s exhausted, dehydrated and can’t even keep some tea down. She tries to keep up some resistance but Mary won’t listen: she stays around all day, strokes her hair as Zelda naps, watches TV alone (it was Zelda’s idea, to turn on the TV, and yet she falls asleep right after the opening credits) and holds Zelda’s hair back every time she vomits.

At night, she cooks her some vegetables soup and some toast and for the first time, Zelda keeps it down.

“It’s going to be over soon,” she tells Zelda softly, kissing her forehead repeatedly as the redhead sips some lavender tea, comfortably resting against Mary’s chest, the two of them curled under a blanket on the couch.

“It didn’t even last 24 hours,” Zelda points out, and Mary softly tickles her hip: “Are you complaining?”. She reaches for the remote: “Do you feel like watching a movie?”

“Did you eat?” Zelda asks softly, without answering the original question. Mary nods and kisses her head again. “ _Otherhood_ ’s okay?”

Zelda nods, then nuzzles her head against Mary’s breasts and kisses casually the side of one breast. “Mary?”

“Yes, dearest?”

“Would you… stay here? Tonight, I mean.”

Mary doesn’t divert her eyes from the TV. She just squeezes Zelda: “I told you, big head. I’m not leaving you.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leticia is away for the weekend, I wonder what Zelda and Mary would do, home alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy this smutty and fluffy interlude because DRAMA IS COMING.

Zelda rubs her face against the soft skin of Mary’s warm collarbone and hums.

She’s starting to wake up and, without opening her eyes, she tests the state of her body: she’s slept through the night, no more vomiting. In fact, the nausea is gone. She feels significantly better, except for a certain muscular weakness. She sighs contently, tightening the grip of her arms around Mary’s waist.

Mary smells amazing and feels even better with their bodies melting against each other, warm and cozy, under the tick blanket.

For the first time in her life, except for the few times she had allowed Hilda to do so, Zelda had had another human being taking care of her. She had expected it to feel strange, but the truth was that Mary has been amazing. She’s sweet and quiet, but deep down, she has the strength of a lioness.

Zelda drops some sweet, wet kisses on Mary’s collarbone, up to her neck. When she hears a content “Mmmh, good morning, my sweet,” she finally opens her eyes and meets ocean blue.

“Waking up with you is amazing,” Mary murmurs, voice still slurred from sleep, hair wild on her pillow.

“I was thinking just the same,” Zelda whispers back, licking at her pulse point. Mary moans and kisses Zelda’s forehead lovingly. “How are you feeling?” she asks softly, losing her hand in Zelda’s luscious red hair.

“Better.” Zelda turns to look outside the window and finds the world covered in cottony flakes. It’s all white, all snow.

“Look,” she says to Mary, and the brunette hums again: “Just the perfect day to stay in bed and make love,” she whispers, and leans closer to take Zelda’s lips with hers.

“Morning breath,” the redhead reminds her, pulling back.

“We’ll have to do with it, because there is no way on earth I’m going to let you out of this bed anytime soon.”

“Faustus—”

“ _Zelda_ ,” Mary interrupts her, taking her face in her warm hands. “He’s gone. Okay? He won’t hurt you anymore. You’re with me, now, and you don’t have to be perfect all the time, because I’m crazy about every little bit of you. Morning breath and all,” and she kisses Zelda, the redhead smiling softly on her mouth, even if her eyes are filled with tears. “I don’t know what I did to deserve someone as sweet and kind as you.”

“Less or more what _I_ did to deserve such a gorgeous woman,” Mary retorts, then goes, sure but sweet, to unbutton her pjs top. She discards it and Zelda shrugs.

“I can’t wait to see you naked,” Mary murmurs, kissing Zelda’s lips as she helps her out of her tank top, leaving her finally bare in the room’s silver light. She watches Zelda’s rather small but firm, full tits and gently cups one in her hand before brushing the hard nipple with her thumb.

“They’re glorious,” she assures, Zelda moaning for the pleasure Mary is giving her but still watching her, eyes full of fears. “Perfect,” Mary adds, tracing Zelda’s areola with the tip of her tongue.

“They’re not,” Zelda argues, but Mary bites her: “Shut up, darling. Shut up and enjoy this, okay?”

Kisses, bites, sucks follow, and in a matter of seconds they are both naked.

“I can’t believe how gorgeous you are,” Zelda tells Mary, rolling on top of her. They kiss playfully, licking each other mouth’s slowly, teasingly. They have all the time in the world and do not intend to rush this – it’s not just about having sex (which they are more than ready to do), it’s about a precious, shared time.

Mary’s heart beats with love for Zelda, studying her terrified expressions as she licked every inch of her body, telling over and over how beautiful she is, how gorgeous she feels. She is - or could be – a praise kink, as she gets wetter and blushes when Mary compliments her. Poor thing – she thinks, kissing her neck, she definitely isn’t used to gentle, caring, _respecting_ lovers. But that’s just about to change.

Slowly, Mary takes off Zelda’s thong and finds her slick, pink and swollen. She licks her lips: “You are drenched, sweetheart,” she points out, bending to take a tentative lick. Zelda moans widely and Mary stops.

“Mary,” Zelda moans. “Wh—”

“Patience, love,” Mary grins, placing a kiss on Zelda’s clit. “I have bigger programs. I – I’ve bought something,” she says. If she wasn’t totally gone, Zelda would have realized that she was embarrassed.

The redhead gets up slightly, resting her weigh on her forearms, and tries to put her girlfriend into focus. Her _girlfriend_. Sabrina was right.

“Yes?”

Mary gets up and, stark naked, goes into the other room (the one where she has left her stuff two days before) and comes back carrying a pink strap-on.

Zelda’s eyes widens: not only she has a girlfriend. She has a girlfriend who brings strap-ons along her daughter’s birthdays gifts.

“Wanna try?” Mary asks, climbing back on the bed and peppering Zelda’s face with kisses. “Gorgeous girl,” she whispers.

Zelda watches the strap-on. It’s _absurd._ She isn’t a puritan. She knows sex. It’s like taking a cock, isn’t it?

“What’s the matter, love?” Mary asks her, smoothing Zelda’s hair away from her face.

“I – I’ve never done. That –” and she pointed to the strap. “Before.”

Mary raises an eyebrow and Zelda comments: “It’s like hetero sex, right? Okay, this is getting extremely awkward. Mary, I told you when we met, I’m not good with people and I have tons of unresolved issues.”

“Hey, hey, hey!” Mary stops her, crawling her close and caressing her, leaving random kisses all over her face. “It’s me. I’m not _people_ , okay? I’m your girlfriend,” and she kisses her mouth passionately. “And you mean the world to me. _And_ you are extremely good with you family, with your little princess and with me. Now, if you want, we can try it, if you don’t, there’s a lot of other things we can do. _It’s just us_.”

Zelda stays silent for a couple of seconds, then lays down and spreads her legs: “So, _girlfriend_ ,” she grinned. “Are you going to fuck me or what?”

Mary doesn’t need to be told twice. She lays on top of Zelda and the redhead throws her arms around Mary’s neck, thirsty for kisses and caresses.

“I’d kiss you forever,” Zelda mumbles on Mary’s mouth and then embrace the brunette’s slender hips with her thighs. “Mary… Take me. _Please._ ”

“I like it, when you beg,” Mary grins, still sloppily kissing Zelda as she starts rolling a nipple between her fingers. “I’ve never seen prettier breasts,” she praises and slowly but surely, she started penetrating Zelda with the strap.

“Oh God,” Zelda breathes, raising her hips to allow Mary better access.

They start moving in sync, passion increasing.

“You are so good,” Mary mumbles against Zelda’s neck. In all reply, Zelda moans and meets Mary’s thrusts half-way, head back against the pillows, baring her neck to the brunette’s angry bites.

“You take my cock so well,” Mary whispers, Zelda wet beyond all reasons. “You like to be fucked like this, don’t you?” she asks, caressing Zelda’s torso until she reaches her clit and plays with it.

“Yes,” Zelda whines. “Yes, yes! Don’t stop, don’t stop, _pleasepleaseplease_!”

“I won’t,” Mary assures her, putting a hand under Zelda’s buttock to place her pelvis closer to the strap. “You are so sexy under me, I can’t believe I’m finally fucking you.”

“Mary,” Zelda moans, hugging her girlfriend close, their breasts brushing together, tongue interviewed.

“Yes, come for me, my love,” Mary urges her, increasing the rhythm of the thrusts. Zelda comes undone, hiding her face in Mary’s neck.

They fall on the bed, between each other’s arms, and Mary slips out of Zelda, making sure to brush against her clit as she does so, making Zelda moan again.

The redhead lies spent in Mary’s arms, closing her eyes to catch her breath, mindlessly caressing Mary’s chocolate curls. Mary, on the other side, is still incredibly horny and still extremely occupied in lavishing Zelda’s breasts with kisses and caresses.

“You know,” Zelda hums. “This was definitely the best sex of my life. It was like…” she rolls on her side, lacing her arms around the brunette’s waist. Mary stops her ministrations on Zelda’s torso, and they lock eyes.

“I’ve never liked that word, but _that_ was more like making love, than fucking.”

“Zelda,” Mary replies softly, cupping one of Zelda’s cheek with her hand. “Of course it was different. It is, different, with you. It has been different since you showed up in my office.”

“I’ve never felt for anyone what I feel for you. Never.”

They kiss, words not enough to express what they feel. Zelda rolls on top of Mary and from her lips, she starts kissing a path down her body, lavishing every spot of her scented, freckled skin.

Mary moans loudly, losing her hands in Zelda’s tussled hair.

“I think after tonight I’ll just be able to think about this,” Zelda laughs softly as she gets comfortable between Mary’s thighs, laying on her stomach.

“You don’t have to think about this,” Mary pants. “We’ll have sex every chance we get.”

She abruptly sits up and looks at Zelda: “You’re not leaving, aren’t you?”

“Why should I?” Zelda replies, puzzled. “Now lay down, darling, your scent is making my mouth water and I need to have a taste.”

“So be my guest, my love,” Mary grins naughtily and Zelda doesn’t need to be told twice and takes two good licks at Mary’s cunt, bottom to top, top to bottom. She traces her entrance with her tongue, moaning: “You taste amazing.”

“Zelda, fuck! Stop teasing me!”

Zelda giggled: “Of course, love,” she nods, using the term, _that term_ , for the first time. It was so strange to call like that someone who wasn’t Leticia or Sabrina.

She quits thinking and goes to town, settling her mouth on Mary’s clit as she pumps into her with her fingers.

Mary rewards her not just coming, she _squirts._

“Wow, darling,” Zelda breaths, licking her through her orgasm, cleaning her up.

“Oh, Zelda,” Mary sighs, falling back against the cushions. Zelda giggles and climbs on top of her, stealing a kiss so Mary tastes herself on Zelda’s tongue.

It’s snowing, outside, and inside everything’s perfect.

Zelda feels Mary kissing her neck and she wakes up slowly. She blinks in the room and smiles at her.

“Good morning again, my gorgeous girl,” Mary sighs, reaching out to stroke Zelda’s hair. “It looks like my girlfriend likes to sleep. Every time I leave you alone, you doze off.”

She puts the tray she’s carrying on the nightstand. The smell of eggs and bacon meets Zelda’s nostrils and she reaches for the coffee.

“Speaking of that,” she slurs, sitting up. Hair cascades on her naked shoulders as she modesty grabs the duvet to cover her breasts. “Am I your girlfriend, now?”

“You want to be?” Mary asks, taking Zelda’s hand, filling with her fingers the hollow spaces between hers.

“I’ve never been with anyone after I had Letty,” Zelda murmurs, sipping her coffee, eyes low. “It’s…. it’s difficult, given how rarely I allow people to get in, and with Leticia, you know… It can get nasty, and I don’t want to hurt her. She’s my top priority, I don’t want to risk her getting too attached to someone who can leave us, you know?”

“Of course,” Mary smiles softly, leaning in to kiss Zelda’s lips slowly. “And you know how much I care about Leticia. I would never do anything that could hurt or upset her. Even if in this moment I can’t imagine us not lasting.”

Zelda looks at her, silent. “Me too,” she simply murmurs. “Mostly because you’re so good in bed,” she then grins, breaking the tension with the joke.

They lean into each other, lips meeting into a searing kiss. Zelda grabs Mary’s hips and drags her with her on the bed.

“Your breakfast is getting cold,” Mary reminds her, trying to break the heated kiss.

“I’d rather eat you,” Zelda smirks and Mary moans: “Love, how much as I’d love to let you, you weren’t feeling well, yesterday, I need you to eat, okay?”

Zelda shrugs and pushes Mary away: “Okay, okay. I’m rather famished, anyway.”

She grabs one of the two plates and gets comfortable in bed once again. “Come here,” she smiles to Mary, patting the space next to her. She glances at the little alarm on her nightstand: “Oh! It’s almost two!”

“We technically spent all morning in bed,” Mary grins, leaning over to kiss her again, caressing Zelda’s hair lovingly. “Are you feeling okay?”

“I do,” Zelda nods. “Very good, actually.”

As soon as they finish their lunch, Mary asks: “What time do you think your family will be back?”

“Hilda texted me that they’ll be home around six. I was thinking we could spend the afternoon together and then you could stay for dinner, eating something you don’t have to cook yourself.”

Mary grins widely: “I’ll stay. But just for Leticia.”

“Oh, is that so?” Zelda grins, leaning closer and letting her the duvet fall, revealing her perky breasts. Mary’s gaze immediately drops.

“You know,” Mary tells her, throat tight. “There wasn’t a single time, since we met, that I haven’t find your gorgeous.” Zelda blushes and Mary caresses her cheek: “But right now, naked, hair tussled and without your make-up…” she sighs, kisses her again: “You look amazing. I want to give you _everything_.”

They fall back on the bed, Zelda’s eyes once again filled with tears as she kisses Mary with everything she possesses. She tries her best to keep her close, but with a naughty smile, Mary backs up and scoots down, taking place between Zelda’s thighs.

“What are you doing?” the redhead asks with a smile. She can’t remember being this happy with her daughter not in the picture. Mary is showing her that being a mother, a great one, doesn’t mean that all of her happiness has to resolve around Leticia. Most of all, Mary is showing her that she’s desirable, and she deserves love.

“I’ve been dying to take care of you this way since forever,” Mary grins, moving her hands under Zelda’s buttocks to get her close. “Mmh, you smell like heaven, darling,” she tells her and then simply digs in.

For a brief second, Zelda remembers how Faustus had once tried to go down on her, just to stop a few minutes later to tell her he didn’t like her taste or her smell, along with the fact that vaginas exists so men can put their dicks in.

She brushes her palms over her eyes and tries to put aside the memory, trying to focus on the feelings of Mary’s mouth on her, sweet and eager. At some points, Mary raises her head to look into her eyes: “Sweetheart, are you ok?”

Zelda just nods, brushing sweaty hair away from her forehead. “Yes, I am. Don’t worry. I was enjoying it a lot.”

Mary places a kiss on Zelda’s clits and caresses her inner thigh. “Just relax, love, ok?”

She resumes her ministration and Zelda does as told, laying back against the cushions. She closes her eyes, hand in Mary’s curls, and moans softly.

He’s gone. He’s gone and she now has a terrific girlfriend who’s gorgeous, sweet, amazingly good in bed and loves Leticia.

She lets that feeling fill her bones and comes in no time.

* * *

They take a shower together and Zelda manages to finger Mary against the shower’s wall, kissing her neck and her mouth lovingly as the brunette comes.

Then, they dry each other, quickly do their hair (Mary takes longer: those curls are great, but they require a lot of styling and products), wear something comfy and march downstair.

“Sit down and relax,” Mary instructs, grabbing Zelda’s hips to press a kiss on the back of her head. “I’ll make us some tea.”

Zelda does as told, and watches Mary moves gracefully around the stoves, enjoying in the feeling of the silent home, snow still falling harmonically.

“So,” she asks at some point. Mary flashes her a smile from behind her shoulder: “Yes?”

“How does this girlfriend thing work, now?”

A part of her, a small one, wants to play with Mary, but the biggest one was simply looking for guidance, for a lead of some sort. She doesn’t know anything about relationships. Not healthy ones, at least.

“Well,” Mary considers. “Lavender or chocolate tea?”

“Chocolate, thank you.”

“For a large part, it consists of what we’ve done until now. We spend time together, or with Letty, or with your family…” she takes the kettle off the stove and fills with steamy hot water two cups. “You’ll have me by your side, supporting you, your projects, your choices. I’ll help you with Leticia, if you want me too, of course. I’ll take care of Sabrina and Hilda with you, and especially when you can’t. We…” she pauses for a second, then drops the casual tone and looks straight into Zelda’s eyes: “I expect us to see each other at our worsts and still l – _care_ about each other. Oh, well, and of course, we’d… treat this _thing_ like an exclusive one?”

Zelda looks at her, disgusts written all over her face: “Of course! Did you expect me to screw around?”

Mary laughs softly and passes Zelda her mug, her eyes begging for a kiss at the same time, which Zelda gives her happily.

“What do you want?” Zelda murmurs on her mouth when they part. “What do you expect, from us?”

Mary stays silent for a while, then, she lies: “The same things.”

They drink their tea, chatting, when Zelda finally, _finally_ asks Mary, blushing furiously, if she wants to do something together for her birthday.

“Zelda!” Mary exclaims, hugging the redhead enthusiastically. “I thought you forgot!”

“How could I forget?” Zelda asks worriedly, but hugging Mary back anyway. “Ok, I’m already a shitty girlfriend, I can tell.”

“Nonsense,” Mary retorts, playfully smacking Zelda’s hand. “You are _the best_! It’s just that you hadn’t mentioned it.”

“I’m the best after twenty-four hours together, she says,” Zelda considers sarcastically, and Mary laughs, kissing her pout. “Well, you’ve proven yourself amazingly, if you know what I mean…”

“I think I do,” Zelda breathes, linking her arms around Mary’s torso and kissing her languidly. Mary is about to move on Zelda’s lap, when the front door slams open and they hear Letty’s voice exclaim: “I wanna see my Mommy!”

End of the fun, Mary thought, but she smiles widely as she watches Leticia jump in Zelda’s arms, grinning: “Mommy!”  
“Welcome back, my love!” Zelda greets, kissing her little girl’s cold cheeks and removing her little hat. “Have you grown during these days? Have you? You look so pretty, oh yes, so pretty!” Zelda praises playfully, tickling Letty’s tummy as the little girl wriggles with laughter.

“Look who’s here,” Zelda points out, grabbing Mary’s arm.

“Mary!”

“Sweet pea! Did you have fun?” Mary asks, keeping an arm around Zelda’s shoulders but leaning in to kiss Leticia.

In that moment, Sabrina and Hilda enter the kitchen.

“Hi, you two!” Hilda chirps as Sabrina hugs Zelda. “How do you feel, Zelds?”

“Brand-new,” Zelda announces, smiling widely as Leticia cuddled against her chest, seeking her mom’s warmth. She takes Mary hand and adds: “My girlfriend took excellent care of me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me on instagram for... I dunno what for, follow me and say hi, lol!


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a big news at Baxter High, and Zelda and Mary celebrate Mary's birthday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a few things:  
> \- this chapter is shitty because my writing is off. I'm sorry.  
> \- thanks J (LaMarwy) for suggesting Mary's gift ♡ and for having my back all day with my rambling about shit.  
> \- tomorrow I'll post highlight stories on my instagram (madamnovelist) with a few outfits I used for this story, so you can see the dresses Mary and Zelda have on in this scene and in others too. I'll post a picture of Lyla Novacek as well, my first AU character. 
> 
> Happy reading!

Zelda’s phone makes the swooping sound of a new message while she’s doing paperwork for the mortuary. She looks down: it’s Mary, of course. She grins and reads: _Between classes and thinking about you._

Zelda is alone, even if her family is about to come back home – Hilda is supposed to stop by to pick up the girls from school as soon as she’s done with her shift – so she allows herself to blush. She glances at the clock: she is an _idiot._ A total idiot, and yet she’s just extremely happy that she’s going to see Mary again in a few hours. Like it usually happens every two minutes, Zelda’s mind drifts to the morning, _that first morning_ she had spent in bed with Mary the previous day. She had wanting to have sex with Mary for quite some time, but seeing the brunette – her manners, her elegance, her sweetness – she had kind of expect it to be some vanilla sex affair, like first times usually are. Instead, Mary had turned out to be quite kinky, and just the thought of it is making Zelda wet again. Mary had been sweet and completely arousing at the same time, leveraging to the few information she had picked up about Zelda and Faustus and their catastrophic sex life.

 _Me too,_ she types quickly on her phone. Then, she considers adding something else, and she thinks about how much she’s willing to expose herself. She sighs, then she jumps: _I missed you tonight, birthday girl_ , she quickly types.

 _I missed you more, my sweet Zelda! I can’t wait to see you_ , comes right away, and Zelda is starting to wonder what she should text back when she hears Hilda’s car in the driveway, and right after Leticia comes into the house, tip of her nose and cheeks red from the cold.

“Mommy!” she calls, dropping her backpack next to the front door.

“Letty, don’t leave your things around,” Zelda tells her, but the little girl runs to her and climbs into her lap.

“Hello, my love,” Zelda tells her, holding her close and kissing her forehead. “What’s up?”

“Nothing! Still missing you from my trip,” Leticia mumbles, but then she raises her little face and smiles brightly at her mommy: “Pink lipstick!” she beams. Zelda usually wears red and burgundy, and Leticia is a pro at noticing different things. “You look so pretty Mommy!”

“Thank you, my beautiful Girlfriend,” Zelda smiles back, bending to kiss random spots on Letty’s face. “I love you so much.”

“Me too Mommy. Can we cuddle before I go to my party?”

“Of course,” Zelda assures, squeezing her tightly as Sabrina and Hilda enter the house.

“Hey, Zelds,” chirps Hilda.

“Hello, Hildie! Hi, Sabrina, how was school?”

“It was okay,” sighs Sabrina dramatically, dropping her bag next to the front door.

“’Brina, don’t leave your things ‘round,” scolds Leticia, still comfortably tucked into Zelda’s arms.

Both Zelda and Sabrina laugh, but the girl apologizes anyway, before walking to her Aunt and kissing her cheek hello.

“Are you going to drive Leticia to her party, or do you want me to do it?” Hilda asks Zelda as they move their chatting into the kitchen to eat lunch.

“I can do it,” Zelda nods. “We’ll spend some time together and then I’ll drive her on my way to Mary’s.”

“I deserve it,” Leticia mumbles, scrambled on Zelda’s side like a little koala, face hidden in her mom’s neck.

Sabrina smirks, and Zelda groans: “Sabrina, smirk once more and you’re grounded for a month.”

They settle down around the table, and Hilda smiles to Sabrina: “So? Any news?”

“We have a new history teacher,” Sabrina starts to tell, stretching her arm to steal a sip of Zelda’s wine, which she knows the redhead hates, but her Aunt is definitely too interested in her story to notice her antics. “What do you mean, a new history teacher? You already have one, one I know pretty well.”

Sabrina raises an eyebrow: “I don’t know if I should be the one telling you, but apparently Ms. Wardwell has been promoted to _principal._ Which I’m super happy about!”

“ _What_?!” Zelda squeals, bringing her hand on her chest. Hilda smiles widely, and Leticia asks: “What’s ‘cipal?”

“It’s like the boss of all the teachers,” Hilda explains, scooting closer to Letty to cut her meal. “Mary is one, now. It’s a happy news!”

“Yes,” Sabrina grins. And of course, we needed a new history teacher. Anyway, I don’t think Ms. Wardwell knew before today so don’t go all… Auntie Zee on her, yet,” Sabrina shrugs.

“What does _go all Aunt Zee_ on someone is supposed to be?” Zelda asks, already craving a cigarette.

“Calling your girlfriend demanding explanations on why she hasn’t called you the exact moment she knew?” Sabrina explains, and Zelda shuts up, because that’ exactly what she wants to do.

“How is she? The new teacher, what’s her name?” Hilda asks.

“Great!” Sabrina smiles. “Lyla Novacek. I’m pretty much in love with her already,” the teenager sighs. “She’s funny and smart and likes to tell little facts about history events. And she’s _stunning_!”

“Baxter High just hires pretty women as history teachers,” Zelda shrugs.

Sabrina and Leticia giggles, while Hilda laughs freely, then the little girl looks at Zelda, a serious expression on her face.

“Mommy, can I call Mary?” she asks.

“Yes,” says Zelda vaguely. “Let’s eat, then we can settle on the couch and I’ll let you call her.”

Leticia nods and goes back to eating.

They finish their lunch, Sabrina and Leticia sharing stories. While Hilda and Zelda do the dishes, Leticia sneaks upstairs and comes back with a blanket, a book – no need to look at the cover to guess which one – and Zelda’s iPhone.

“Mommy? You done?”

“Go, love,” Hilda urges. “I can finish this; we’re almost done anyway.”

“Thanks, Hildie,” Zelda smiles, then lifts Leticia in her arms – blanket, book and everything – and she marches to the living room, the little girl laughing loudly.

They settle on the couch, Zelda laying back against the fluffy cushions, Leticia sprawled out against her chest, fire lit, book in lap as she unlocks Zelda’s phone and videocalls Mary.

Mary’s face – hair up in a bun, make-up and glasses on her nose – filled the screen and, expecting to see Zelda, she greets: “Hi, my darling! Oh, Letty! Hi, sweet pea!”

“Hi Mary,” Leticia grins, before moving the phone to frame Zelda as well.

“Hey, you,” Zelda smiles sweetly, and Mary practically _beams._ “Zelda!”

“Letty asked if she could call you, so I’ll just lay here and let you two chat.”

Mary laughs, then settles her attention on Leticia. “Are you okay, sweet pea?”

Leticia nodded furiously: “Yes! I wanted to tell you that tonight I’m going to my bestest friend an we’re gonna have pizza!”

“I know you do! Your mom told me.”

“You’re not mad that I can’t come to your party?” she asks, eyes two pools of sorrow.

“Oh, baby, no! Of course I’m not upset!”

“Mommy normally won’t let me go on Mondays but this is a special ‘casion ‘cause my friend turns six! But I’m sorry because I wanted to see you too.”

“Oh, sweet pea! Hear me out,” Mary starts. “How about on Friday night we go out for dinner? Zelda, what do you say?”

Zelda nods from behind Letty. “Sure. Where do you want to go, Letty?”

The little girl thinks for a while. “Steak!” she shouts. “I want steak!”

“Steak it is,” Mary nods. “So, what do you say, Letty?”

“It’s a date!” the little girl grins. “But Mommy’s gonna bring you my present tonight, ‘kay?”

“Oh, sweetheart, you got me a present?”

Zelda makes a vague sound with the back of her throat. Possibly, Leticia had obsessed over Mary’s present more than Zelda, forcing her mother to tour more than ten shops before finding the perfect item.

“Of course I got you a present, it’s your birthday!” Leticia squeals. “Silly! Now me and Mommy need to read, bye! Love you!” and she passes the phone to Zelda. Laughing, the redhead smiles at her girlfriend: “See you later, Mary”

“See you later, my darling girl,” Mary murmurs before disconnecting the call. Zelda drops the phone on the carpet and opens the book, as Leticia snuggles against her breasts.

“Ready?” Zelda murmurs, kissing Leticia’s temple. The little girl nods, and Zelda starts: “Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much…”

* * *

Zelda checks mentally if she has everything she needs: Leticia’s gift, hers, Hilda’s _Sachertorte_ and a bottle of Italian wine. Yes, that would do. She checks her reflection in the mirror: she’s chosen an indigo dress with the body made of lace, probably too much for a simple dinner at home, but she had freaked out a little, apparently. It’s their first official date as an official couple _and_ Mary’s birthday, after all. Well, and they’re probably going to celebrate Mary’s new job as well. It requires something nice. Her make-up is perfect, and her hair is just down on her shoulders. She sighs, collects her stuff and leaves the car. She’s walking to the door when it opens, revealing a smiling Mary: “Hello, Tough Gal,” she smiles. “Hurry up, it’s freezing!”

In answer, Zelda stops. Mary looks _stunning_. She’s wearing a high waisted, leather blue skirt reaching just below her knees, legs and foot bare, with a short, woody tiffany sweater. Her hair is straight and combed in a low ponytail and her make-up is simple and natural.

“Holy Hell,” she breathes. How is she going to survive the night?

As soon as she climbs the three steps to the cottage, Mary grabs her wrist and tugs her inside, closing the door behind them. Inside, in the warm, cozy cottage, they kiss next to the door. Zelda tries to put her arms around Mary while they caress each other’s mouth, but Mary is peeling her leopard print coat off her body.

“Wait, wait,” Zelda pants, leaning back to drop everything she’s carrying on the couch and she removes her coat herself.

“You look so beautiful, darling,” Mary tells her, and gets close again to resume their kissing, Zelda whispering “Happy birthday, Mary.”

When they break their hug, Zelda looks around: the cottage is in dim light: the fireplace, the candles on the table, the lamp next to the couch. Soft music is playing in the background and the kitchen counter is full of trays, a bottle of red wine already on the table.

Zelda feels her eyes fill with tears: no one has ever done something like that for her. _Never_.

Zelda clears her throat and gestures to the wine and the cake: “We should put those in the fridge.”

Mary smiles widely and moves to do just so, hips swaying in the skirt. Zelda now has her answer: she is _not_ going to survive the night.

“Would you like a glass of wine before dinner?” Mary asks, peaking at her from behind her shoulder. Then, she raises her eyebrow: “What are you looking at?”

“You,” Zelda breathes. “I honestly can’t believe how gorgeous you look.”

Mary walks back to her and kisses her again. “No one has ever told me I look good _this_ much.”

Zelda leans back, a smile on her face. “Speaking of untold things,” she starts, accepting the glass Mary is offering her.

“What?”

They settle in the living room, side by side on the couch. Mary places a little plate with crackers and cheese on the coffee table, while they nurse a glass of wine each. The brunette bends her legs under her butts and slides her arm around Zelda’s shoulders.

“Something you need to tell me?” Zelda pokes, an alluring smile on her face. Mary blushes: “Sabrina told you.”

Zelda nods: “Why didn’t you call me, dear?” she asks, looking into Mary’s eyes.

“I was waiting for tonight,” Mary replies, biting her bottom lip. The sight is too much for Zelda, who leans closer and briefly kisses the brunette, and bits her lips as well. “Congratulations,” she grins, mouths still aligned.

“Thank you,” Mary grins, her eyes shining. “I thought about you all morning… I couldn’t wait to tell you,” she confesses. “I’m always thinking about you, Zelda.”

“Me too,” Zelda murmurs, blushing furiously. “Especially after yesterday…”

“Mmmmh,” Mary moaned, pecking Zelda’s lips again. “Me too. I’m dying to know what’s under this pretty dress.”

In zero time, Mary finds herself laying on the couch, Zelda laying on top of her. They’re kissing furiously, Mary caressing Zelda’s thigh under her dress.

“Zelda,” Mary giggles, as the redhead’s lips explores her neck. “If we keep doing this, we’ll never gonna eat. And I kind of spent my afternoon cooking for you.”

Zelda laughs as well, slightly out of breath, and sits back on the couch. Her hair is mussed, her lipstick smeared, and Mary feels the great need to tell her that she loves her, that she’s in love with her, that in a few dates she has changed her life. Instead, she fixes her hair lovingly and urges: “Let’s go eat, how does it sound?”

Mary serves ravioli lasagna and pepper and potato sausage bake. Everything smells amazing, and like every time Zelda finds on the table something she likes, and she just want to throw herself on the food, she remembers Faustus’ comments and stops. Mary fills her plate with generous serving, but Zelda gently stops her: “That’s okay… thank you.”

“Aren’t you hungry, sweetheart?” Mary asks, eyeing the very small quantity of food Zelda has allowed her to put in her plate.

“I am,” Zelda nodded. To stop Mary’s suspicious thoughts, she takes a bite of the ravioli lasagna and moans: “This is really good!” she praises.

“Thanks,” Mary nods, shrugging before digging in her plate. She starts chatting about various topics, asking about Leticia and her party. Zelda replies, but Mary is still worried about how little Zelda’s eating. Thinking about it, Mary realizes that they’ve always shared things, so she can’t really say how much the redhead normally eats. If she’s honest, she had seen Zelda eating with gusto just the night she had stop by to pick up Letty. It feels like a lifetime ago. They’re almost done with the second course when she stops the chatting to ask: “Love, if you don’t like it, you can tell me. It’s fine, I promise. I can make you something else or we can skip to dessert.”

“No!” Zelda gasps. “Why? Everything is amazing, you’re a great cook, actually.”

“It looks like someone is forcing you to eat, and the amount you have in your plate is enough to satisfy a bird.”

“I don’t normally eat much,” Zelda shrugs. Then, she quickly adds: “Even if I know it doesn’t really show.”

Mary’s eyes widen as she realized what’s happening. “Zelda. What did Faustus tell you when you ate a little bit more?”

Zelda holds her gaze without replying for a long time. Then, she shrugs: “That I’ll never lose my belly’s fat if I keep eating this much. And that considering that I have no boobs I have to stay as skinny as possible.” She shrugs again, clearly uncomfortable, and eats another small forkful of meat. Mary sighs deeply and put down her cutlery. “Zelda,” she calls, and stays silent until the redhead is looking at her. “I’ll tell you what we’re going to do about that, okay? You’re going to eat what’s in your plate, a little bit more and the dessert as well. Then, I’ll take you to bed and I’ll show you for as long as it takes that there’s nothing wrong with your breasts and your body in general.”

Zelda looks at her, stern and hurt: “I’m not weak.”

Mary raises an eyebrow: “What are you talking about?”

“You talk to me as I’m some… young teen you need to take care of. Actually, you talk to me like I’m one of your students.”

“Zelda, I don’t!” Mary replies, feeling the fear form in her belly. _I’ve hurt her. She feels offended and she’s going to leave._ “I want to take care of you, yes, but not because I think you’re not capable of doing it alone. Do you understand?”

“Don’t go all teacher of me,” Zelda groans, and Mary drops everything to circle the table and crouch down next to Zelda’s chair. She takes her hand and kisses the back of it: “I’m sorry,” she says. “I don’t think you’re weak and if I sound patronizing, well, it just comes with the job. I want you to feel free to eat until you’re stuffed with me, because I find you _perfect_. What he’s done to you…” she shakes her head. “I’m sorry, okay? if I did something wrong, I’m sorry, but please stay, let’s finish our dinner.”

Zelda leans in and kisses her softly. “I’m the one who should be sorry.”

They go back to their dinner, Zelda a little uneasy until Mary sits on a precarious balance on her thigh and feeds her pieces of the cake, alternating them with chocolatey kisses.

They toast to Mary’s birthday, to her new job and to their relationship, before Zelda slaps Mary’s ass: “Let’s do the dishes. I’ll help you.”

Zelda discards her heels, and they settle into a nice routine, Zelda cleaning up the table while Mary loads the dishwasher.

“So, how’s your new protégé?” Zelda asks casually. “Sabrina told me she’s funny and smart.”

“She is all those things,” Mary nods. “Young, as well. Ten years younger than us, I’d say.”

“What does she look like?”

“I don’t know,” she shrugs, slightly uncomfortable. “She’s a little taller than me, skinny, long light brown hair, big green eyes.”

“Seems pretty. Sabrina said she’s _stunning_.”

Mary nods. “She’s a gorgeous girl, indeed. And kind, too. She’s already offered to buy me lunch to pay me back,” she shrugs. “All done!” she drops the dishcloth and takes Zelda’s hand, guiding her to the couch.

“Let me grab those,” Zelda smirks, taking to the coffee table the bottle and their glasses. She sits down on an armchair and, grabbing one of Mary’s wrists, she pulls her in her lap. Mary links her arms around Zelda’s neck and steals a kiss, then Zelda grins: “Someone needs to open up their gifts, what do you say?”

She reaches for the two little packages and drops them in Mary’s lap, pointing to the pink one: “That one first. It’s Leticia’s.”

“Zelda, Leticia’s gift is Pandora?” Mary asks, raising an eyebrow. Zelda nods and smiles: “She was very specifical regarding what to get you.”

Mary opens it quickly, revealing a Harry Potter Ravenclaw Pandora charm. “Zelda!” Mary gasps. “This is… I love it!”

“I’m glad. Leticia will be as well, she asked Sabrina over twenty times if you actually owned the bracelet.”

“I do,” Mary nods. “I don’t wear it frequently because almost every charm I actually have is related to Adam… well, until now, of course. I’m going to took all of them off except for my first letter and this one, and I’ll start fresh.”

She leans over and kisses Zelda, calmly and passionately, whispering “Thank you,” on her lips.

“That wasn’t from me,” Zelda grins, biting gently her lips. “ _This_ is from me,” and she gestures to a black, velvet box. “Zelda,” she whispers. She opens the box and inside, she finds a long, golden chain with an engraved medal. _My shooting star._

“Zelda…” she says again, eyes full of tears, and the redhead laughs: “Are you repeating my name because you have it or because you love it?”

“It’s perfect,” she murmurs, while Zelda picks up the long chain and hangs it delicately around Mary’s neck, the medal falling between Mary’s breasts.

“I love it,” Mary whispers. “I love how long it is.”

Zelda smiles: “I’m glad you do. I was afraid it was going to be too sentimental.”

Mary throws herself at Zelda, kissing her languidly, one hand on her cheek, the other on her waist.

“I want to see you naked, with just this on,” Zelda whispers on her lips, sneaking a hand under Mary’s sweater to cup one of her breasts. Mary moans loudly and tries to grid her pelvis against Zelda but she moans in frustration when she can’t.

“Let’s move this in my bed,” she suggests.

“Well, in front of the fireplace sounds nice too,” Zelda notes, but Mary argues: “It does, but I really, really want to have you naked in my bed,” she tells her, biting her chin.

“One thing doesn’t rule out the other,” Zelda grins, and pushes Mary off her lap, making her stand and quickly working on taking off her sweater, leaving Mary in a grey lace bra.

“My God,” she murmurs, hugging her at her waist and sucking briefly on a nipple through the bra. “It’s your birthday, and I’m the one unwrapping a gift.”

Mary laughs softly and reaches behind Zelda to unzip her dress. They get naked quickly, falling on the carpet, Zelda on top of Mary, kissing her neck slowly, sucking on her skin. Mary is trying to sneak a hand between her legs, when Zelda looks at her and smirks: “New birthday, new toy?” she asks.

Immediately, Mary’s face lose color. “I’ve been thinking about it…” she says slowly, and Zelda giggles: “I have to, _a lot_ , but I don’t have that face when I do!”

Mary stops the sexual teasing to hold Zelda’s face in her hands: “It was too much, right? I ruined our first time. I just had this fantasy I—”

“Mary!” Zelda frowns. “What the hell are you talking about? You don’t have to treat me like I might break, okay?”

“I just think it was too much, maybe.”

Zelda sighs and snuggles in Mary’s arms, looking into her eyes. “You haven’t ruined our first time, okay? It was the best sex I’ve ever had, and believe me, I’ve had plenty.”

“Not really what I wanted to know,” Mary sulks.

“And even if you did, I would have been happy anyway, because you fixed a little part of me Faustus had broken.”

Mary looks into her eyes, stroking her hair made of silk, and wishes to be bolder, to finally gather the courage to tell her how much she loves her, how much she needs her to stay. Instead, she smiles again and kisses her, trying to put into that kiss everything she wants to tell her.

Slowly, sweetly, they resume their sexual teasing, until Zelda crawls between Mary’s thighs.

“I love watching you between my legs,” Mary sighs, losing one of her hands in Zelda’s curls. “I feel like a teenager, I can’t stop thinking about having sex with you.”

Zelda sighs and first, she gives her one long, shameless lick, then she sucks on her clit. Mary throws her hand back, hooking one of her legs around Zelda’s shoulder. She’s making obscene sounds, and they increase when Zelda releases her clit from her lips and goes down, penetrating her with her tongue.

Mary has indeed spent her night tossing and turning in her bed, craving Zelda’s body next to hers, so it doesn’t take long for her to come on Zelda’s tongue. The redhead grins naughtily and licks her clean, helping her ride her orgasm until its very end.

“Oh God,” Mary sighs, spent on the carpet. Zelda sits cross-legged, and Mary eyes her naked body hungrily. She waits until she’s gained back her strength, then stands up and bring Zelda to her bed.

“I’ve wanted to have you here, like this, since forever,” Mary murmurs, laying on her side, facing Zelda and caressing her breasts. She thinks briefly about how the hell could Faustus not like those perky, arousing, delicious small breasts, but Zelda distracts her kissing her softly and slowly, caressing her cheek. Everything is perfect. Just _perfect._

Zelda lays in bed, spent and happy, looking intently at Mary’s sleeping face.

She seems content, sleeping on her back, hair around her face like a halo made of chocolate, lips slightly pouting, blanket wrinkled around her midriff, so her breasts are bare, with the little golden medal resting between them.

Zelda takes a moment, just to enjoy what she’s feeling with only being in Mary’s presence. Then, she checks the time and groans softly: she’s very close to be late in picking Leticia up. Ignoring the part of her that just wants to curl up against Mary, she gets up, ready to go downstair to pick up her clothes and leave, trying her best not to wake up Mary. She’s barely reached the door, when she hears a panicked voice: “Where are you going?”

She turns over, and sees Mary sitting in the middle of the bed, staring at her with big eyes, full of terror.

“Hey,” she whispers, trying to smile, and walks back to the bed, sitting down and caressing Mary’s hair gently. “I was trying not to wake you. I have to go pick up Leticia.”

Mary sighs deeply, trying to calm her racing heart and her terrified brain.

“Are you okay, love?” Zelda asks her softly, kissing her forehead. Mary nods, almost sharply. “Of course. Go pick up Letty. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

Zelda leans over and kisses her passionately, asking permission by pressing her tongue against her lips. Mary sighs and opens her mouth to Zelda, trying to calm down.

“It’s been amazing,” Zelda murmurs, pecking her lips some more times. “Thank you for this wonderful night.”

Mary smiles slightly: “Thank you. And thank you for the amazing gifts, as well.”

Zelda pecks her nose: “You’re welcome. Sleep tight, my sweet girl.”

Mary doesn’t sleep a wink.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sabrina's impulsiveness kind of spoils the holiday for Zelda.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... if you want to see the outfits, or Lyla's face, come say hello on Instagram :)  
> Thanks Jules u.u  
> And thanks to my bff Claire, because we actually texted each other the Milk & Honey idea at the same time. Well, if you can, read that book. Amazing poetry.
> 
> Zelda uses the word "gorgeousness" because Michelle actually told me on IG that it is a word. Final. :D

Mary sighs and selects a double espresso macchiato on the vending machine. While she waits for the beverage to be ready, she pulls her phone out of her handbag to finally run past Zelda her Thanksgiving’s plans, which was _tomorrow_. It she’s being honest, she’s a little upset that Zelda hasn’t said anything. She opens up her Message App and touches her conversation with Zelda, typing quickly: _Morning, sweetheart._ She adds a red heart and sends it, then types again: _We haven’t talked about Thanksgiving yet, but I would love to spend the holiday with you. Would you like to come over? Invitation valid for your family as well._ She sends, then she types a _I love you_ but deletes it immediately. She sighs and pushes her hair away from her face. When is she going to find the courage to tell Zelda how she feels? Her phone rings and she opens Zelda’s message, hands trembling. This woman makes her feel like a teenager. She reads: _Good morning beautiful, yes of course! I actually just told Leticia and she’s pretty excited._ An audio message follows: Mary plays it and puts the phone at her ear: _Mary!_ Letty’s voice exclaims. _I can’t wait to come to your house! And we’re gonna have dinner on Friday too, right? I love you!_

Smiling widely, Mary types Zelda a quick reply, telling her that she’s at school so she actually can’t record an audio message, but they’re definitely still in, for Friday. _Tell Letty I love her too_ , she adds quickly. She’s standing there, sipping her coffee, thinking about what to cook for Zelda (and her family as well), when she feels a lithe hand rest on her arm, and Lyla’s deep voice greeting: “Good morning, principal Wardwell.”

Mary feels a thrill at the new title and smiles at her: “Morning, Miss Novacek.”

Lyla is wearing a plain pink and white pencil skirt with boots and an oversized black turtleneck, her long hair loose on her shoulders. She’s smiling widely, looking at Mary expectantly.

“Would you like a coffee?”

“Yes, thank you,” Lyla smiles brightly.

Unconsciously, Mary fidgets with the chain Zelda had given her as she selects Lyla’s coffee on the vending machine.

“What a gorgeous necklace!” Lyla beam. “May I?” she asks for permission, reaching to touch the charm. Slightly uncomfortable, Mary nods.

“Is it new?” Lyla asked, reading the engraving, and turning the charm, spotting the little _Z_ _2018_ on the back.

“Yes, a birthday present.”

Lyla gasps: “Oh! When was your birthday?”

“Two days ago.”

“I didn’t know it was your birthday,” she casually comments, laying against the vending machine, letting her body relax. She’s skinny, with a few, light curves, and her eyes are big and green. She doesn’t have time to reply, because Sabrina trots to them, and greets them both with a shining smile: “Hello!”

“Hello, Sabrina,” Lyla smiles back as Mary nods to the girl and squeezes her shoulder in a friendly gesture.

“How’re my two favorite teachers today?” Sabrina grins, and Lyla laughs breathlessly: “Already? I’m flattered!”

“The title comes with the subject,” Mary jokes. Then, she asks: “Any plans for Thanksgiving?”

Sabrina slips in: “What are _we_ doing for Thanksgiving?” she asks Mary and sees the teacher’s eyes widen slightly in surprise.

“Dinner at the cottage,” Mary simply says before focusing her attention on Lyla again.

“Nothing special,” the teacher smiles. “I’ve just moved here, and my family is still in California and I didn’t want to fly back and forth.”

“I’m sorry,” Mary offers sympathetically, and Sabrina gasps: “But you _can’t_ spend Thanksgiving alone!”

In that moment, every alarm bell goes off in Mary’s brain. She _knows_ what Sabrina is about to do. She knows it and there’s no way she can stop it.

“It’s not a big deal, really,” Lyla tries to say, but Sabrina replies: “Join us!” Then, she turns to Mary: “Can she, Ms. Wardwell?”

Extremely uncomfortable, Mary can’t really say what she’s thinking - _Hell no! How can we explain to her that I’m dating one of my student’s parent?_ – so she nods: “Of course. It would be really nice. Would you like to come, Lyla?” she offers, testing the young woman’s first name for the first time. After a second of hesitance, Lyla smiles: “Yes. It would be nice!” she thinks for a second, then adds: “I’m sorry, but who’s _us_?” she asks, looking from Sabrina to Mary.

“Me, my aunts, my cousin and Ms. Wardwell, here.”

“Ambrose?” Mary asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Still in college. He’s using the time off to study. Aunt Hilda _lost it_ when he told us. Dr. Cee won’t be there as well, he went to Chicago to spend the holiday with his family.”

“A female holiday, then,” Mary grins, then she brings her attention once again to Lyla. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow night, then? I can text you the address.”

“Yes! What can I bring?”

If Lyla wonders why a principal is about to spend a holiday with a student and her family, she doesn’t say anything. They talk for a bit about the menu and when Lyla leaves, Mary asks Sabrina to stay behind for a second.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Wardwell!” Sabrina says immediately. “I just couldn’t stand the thought of her alone, she’s so nice!”

“She is,” Mary nods, still a little crossed with Sabrina but trying to hide it. “I just don’t know how we can handle it, Sabrina. I don’t think it’s right for my relationship with Zelda to be known at school, mostly because I don’t know if you’ll have some implications. I don’t want everyone to think or to suggest that I’m favoring you just because I’m in lo—” she gulps and backtracks: “Just because I’m dating your aunt.”

Sabrina seems to think about it: “I haven’t realized it. I’m sorry Ms. Wardwell. Are we going to withdraw our invitation?”

“It won’t be really nice, now, won’t it? We’re going to have our dinner and we’ll let her believe that Zelda and I are just friends.”

“She’s going to kill me,” Sabrina groans, and Mary pats her back: “Go to class, now. I’ll handle Zelda.”

_Yes, I’ll handle her my ass,_ Mary thinks, cursing Sabrina once again. She’s in her kitchen, already cooking for the following day what can be prepared in advance. The perfect little image formed in her head for the following day – sleep in, read in bed, take a bath, watch a movie and getting the house ready for the dinner – is bothered by an annoying thought: she has to tell Zelda about Layla. Sighing, she grabs her phone and hops up on the kitchen’s counter, dialing Zelda’s number.

“Hi, darling,” Zelda’s voice fills her ear. “How was your day?”

“Uh, pretty fine. I need to talk to you about something.”

“Are you sure it was fine? Sabrina’s being acting strange all day.”

“Yes, that’s why I need to talk to you, sweetie.”

“Well, what are you waiting for – no, Letty, one second, love.”

“ _But I wanna say hi to Mary!_ ” Mary hears, and can’t help but giggle. “Hi, sweet pea.”

“Mary!” the little girl laughs. “I miss you _a lot_ ,” she declares dramatically. “Can I sleep over at your place, tomorrow?”

“ _Leticia!_ ” Zelda’s voice retorts. “Don’t be impolite.”

“No worries, Zelda,” Mary giggles. “I’ll talk to Mommy and we’ll figure something out, what do you say?”

“’Kay,” Leticia shrugs. “See you tomorrow!” and then, like she now normally does, she adds: “I love you!” and passes the phone to Zelda. Every time Leticia tells her she loves her she feels her throat going dry. She softly replies: “I love you too, sweet pea.”

“My daughter doesn’t know a thing about manners,” Zelda declares. Mary can hear her fidgeting with her cigarette’s pack and lightening one.

“It’s not a problem, sweetie. How do you feel about that, by the way?”

“What do you mean?”

“We’ve just started dating, do you feel fine about us having sleepovers? Aren’t you afraid she’s going to be too involved, if… in case something goes wrong?”

_In case you’ll leave me._

“I think that would be rather hypocrite, don’t you think? She’s already involved.”

“You’re her mom, love. Whatever you want to do. But it’s better if you stay over on Friday, I have to go in in the morning.”

“Isn’t the school closed on Friday?”

“Yes, it is, but with my move from one bench to other I still have to go in and do some paperwork.”

“It’s fine. Friday night works. Letty will be really happy about this. She has _a thing_ about your house.” Zelda pauses for a second. “Do you mind if I sleep with her in the guest room? I know we’ve already slept all together, but it was her idea, and…”

Mary’s heart sinks a bit, but she sighs: “No, of course no. I understand.”

“You’re the best,” Zelda murmurs. “So, what did you want to tell me?”  
“Oh, yes! Do you know Lyla? Novacek?”

“Ah, yes,” Zelda replies. “Your protégé.”

“She’s not,” Mary giggles. “Well, this morning we were having coffee together when Sabrina stopped by on her way to class. We were talking about the holiday and Lyla told us she was going to spend it alone—”

“ _Mary_ ,” Zelda interrupted. “I have a feeling I can tell where this is going and I’m not liking it _one bit._ ”

Mary shuts her eyes tightly and sighs: “Well, you know how your niece is…”

“SABRINA VICTORIA SPELLMAN!” Zelda shouts, and Mary winches. “Come downstairs _immediately_!”

“ _Why are you angry at ‘Brina, Mommy?_ ”

“Zelda, Zelda, love, _no—_ ”

“I wanted,” Zelda starts, fuming. “No. It’s our first holiday together. Out _first_ , Mary Elizabeth Wardwell!”

“ _Why are we using middle names, Auntie Hildie?_ ”

“I know,” Mary nods. “I know, sweetheart, and you are the main reason I’m grateful for. But – I mean, you know Sabrina.”

“ _Yes, Auntie Zee_?” Sabrina vaguely asks, apparently having arrived in the kitchen.

“Why the hell did you invited your new teacher, who we don’t know, to our private, family time?”

“ _But she was going to be all alone! At Thanksgiving, Auntie Zee!_ ”

“Yes, that’s was your partner in crime here, Ms. Wardwell, is telling me,” Zelda replies, dryly. “I swear to God, you two will sent me to my grave!”

“ _Mommy!!! NO! Why you talking about grave!_ ”

“It was a figure of speech, Leticia.”

“Zelda,” Mary tries again. “I was thinking…”

“Yes, what are you thinking, _now_?” she urges. “Tell me, I’m dying to know – another figure of speech, Leticia, for God’s sake!”

“I don’t exactly feel like telling Lyla about our relationship.”

A minute of silence on the other side of the line.

“I see,” Zelda just says, and Mary realizes what she’s thinking.

“Zelda! No, foolish girl, it’s not that I don’t want her to know. I’m just afraid that people at school will think that Sabrina is having special treatments.”

Zelda is silent for a second. “Yes, okay. Well, I’m going to go speak with my daughter and my sister about this _masquerade_. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Zelda, wait –” Mary stops her. _I love you._ No, not on the phone. “Text me before bed, okay?”

“I will,” she drily replies, and she ends the call.

While Zelda is debating with Hilda if she should tell Leticia the truth (she had wanted to, at first, but then Hilda had smartly pointed out that Leticia probably won’t use the word _girlfriend_ s, unless someone told her she wasn’t allowed to – she’s a child, after all), Mary spends her night worrying. She’s cooked just the pies – a salted-caramel apple slab pie and a pumpkin pie, leaving the third one to Hilda, like she’s asked- and is currently on the couch, trying to get some reading done, but she keeps thinking about her conversation with Zelda.

She starts analyzing the facts: she was angry, that had been pretty obvious. But she was angry because she was feeling like Lyla was intruding in something theirs. Something that should have belonged just to them. She couldn’t just _leave_ because of that, couldn’t she? She groans and gets up, reaching the kitchen and starting to roam the cabinets to find her Martini. Thank you, Adam. Thank you very much. She drinks a sip of her Martini and allows herself to think about him for a second. She wonders where he is and if she thinks about her. She’s never felt for him what she feels for Zelda. Zelda Spellman had squashed her whole word.

She needs to talk to her – she knows it. She needs to tell her what she fears, and what she feels. She can’t live with that fear in her stomach every time something goes differently from what planned. iPhone and Martini, she goes upstairs to go soak in the tub for a while.

Soaking in the hot water, bubbles surrounding her body, she opens up her message conversation with Zelda and snaps a picture of her legs. A pretty caste one, because who knows how far from the phone Letty can be? She sends it to Zelda and waits. Zelda doesn’t make her wait. A reply comes in a few minutes.

_Trying to divert me from the main subject with your gorgeousness won’t save you. I’m still crossed with you, Ms. Wardwell._

Catching the teasing tone, Mary sighs deeply and replies: _I wish you were here to punish me properly._

_You’re ruined as soon as I get my hands on you._

Mary grins widely and texts: _Is Leticia somewhere near your phone?_

_No, she’s sleeping. She was excited beyond meaning about us spending the night with you._

Mary snaps a picture of the top of her breasts, covered in bubbles, with the necklace resting in the valley in between them. She spots the three dots signaling that Zelda is typing something back, and a few seconds later another text appears: _Ok now I want to fuck you. Too bad tomorrow there’s your little protégé around._

Touché.

Mary looks in the mirror: maybe she’s wearing _too much_ white. White skinny pants with golden high heels and a cream-colored fitting turtleneck with a white see-through collar. Yes, she _is_ wearing too much white. She applies her red lipstick and combes her hair, holding them at the nape of her neck, leaving her face completely bare. Then, she goes downstairs where her living room is completely messed up. The couch is pushed against a wall, and on the coffee table she’s organized a part of the welcoming drink. The table is opened, throning in the middle of the room, and she still has her doubts that six people would be able to eat there comfortably. The table and half of the kitchen counter are covered in food, and the other side of it accommodates the rest of the drinks. She walks around and checks on the food. She starts with the oven, where the turkey is cooking nice and fat – and hour and a half and it should be done – and then, the rest: corn salad with bacon and honey, sweet potato casserole with homemade marshmallow, parker house rolls, various stuffing, hasselback potato gratin and of course, even if it wasn’t very Thanksgiving appropriate, mc and cheese for her darling Zelda. Maybe she’s exaggerated. She starts mixing margaritas and puts in the refrigerator a bottle of vodka (for Zelda as well). They’re supposed to arrive soon.

In a few minutes, she hears voices and laughs and goes to open the door.

“Mary, Mary!” Leticia screams, running to her.

“My sweet pea!” Mary greets, opening her arms to the little girl and picking her up to shower her little face with kisses. For the first time since she’d known her, the little girl isn’t wearing anything Harry Potter. She has on a multi-colored Indian poncho over a pair of leggings and a grey sweater, with matching gloves, leg warmers, a creamy colored hat and a pair of light brown boots.

“You look stunning, my love!” Mary tells her, kissing the tip of her frozen nose.

“You too!” Leticia grins, and Hilda and Zelda follow closely, snuggled up in their coat.

“Hello, love!” Hilda exclaims, hugging Mary quickly. “Thank you for having us.”

“It’s my pleasure! Come inside,” she gestures to Hilda and Leticia as Sabrina approaches her.  
“How should we say hello?” Sabrina wonders, looking at Mary, confused. The brunette laughs and hugs her student briefly: “Happy Thanksgiving, Sabrina.”

“You too, Ms. W,” she murmurs, squeezing her teacher and following the rest of her family inside.

“Hey, sweetheart,” she smiles to Zelda, who’s carrying a cake and a bottle of wine. She’s wearing a pair of ankles stiletto boots, legs naked, a leopard-print coat and is wearing her hair down and straight, parted on a side. “You look amazing.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere,” Zelda states, dumping the items in Mary’s arms. She looks, of course, but doesn’t comment.

“I see we’re still upset,” Mary comments. “No hello kiss?”

Zelda walks inside.

“No, I guess not,” Mary sighs, and follows them. It’s going to be a long night.

When Lyla rings the bell, Sabrina is comfortably sitting on the couch, texting Harvey, Hilda is attempting to the turkey’s last needs, and Zelda is sprawled over an armchair, a glass of margarita in her hand. Mary, finally able to move her eyes from the amount of white skin left bare by the long, patterned white and beige dress Zelda is wearing, has Leticia in her arms and is showing her paintings and books around the house.

When the bell rings, Zelda is the quickest to get up and walk to the door. She opens it and finds herself face to face with a stunning girl, ten years younger than her. She’s tall, skinny, gorgeously feminine. Long light brown hair, in tussled, sexy waves around her face, big green eyes, a nice smile. She’s wearing a floral, high-waisted blue skirt, a white blouse tucked into the skirt, with a wood green bottle coat. Her legs are bare and she’s wearing red sandals. _She’s wearing fucking sandals in the middle of fucking November._

Her face is bare, except for mascara and red lipstick.

“Hi!” the woman smiles brightly. “Is this Mary Wardwell’s house?”

“The plate says so,” Zelda replies, pointing to said plate on the door.

“Right,” the other woman laughs. “I’m Lyla Novacek, the new history teacher…?”

“Yes,” Zelda nods, dryly. “I’m Zelda Spellman,” she offers, extending her hand.

“Spellman! Oh, Sabrina’s aunt, right?” she shakes the offered hand and Zelda moves: “Do come in,” she grants.

“Miss Novacek is here,” Zelda announces, voice showing a slight annoyance to a careful viewer.

“Hello,” Layla says, clearly out of place, looking at the foreign faces.

“Lyla, come on in!” Mary says, approaching the woman, Leticia still buckled up on her side, arms and legs around the brunette’s neck and waist. Mary leans to kiss Lyla’s cheek and Leticia makes no sign of wanting to move. For once, Zelda looks at the scene and smirks, without scolding her daughter.

“Hello,” Lyla nods. “Who’s this precious princess?” she asks, looking at Leticia. And then, Leticia betrays her mother, and her usual charming self shows. “I’m Leticia Zelda Spellman!” she announces. “And who are you? You are really, _really_ pretty!” she declares.

“I’m Lyla Novacek. Why, thank you! But you are the gorgeous woman, here!” Lyla praises, and Letty smiles and blushes. “What’s your middle name?” she asks, and Mary giggles.

“Lynn,” Lyla replies, and turns to Sabrina: “Hello Sabrina, this is your cousin?”

“That would be Leticia,” Sabrina nods. “And those are my aunties, Zelda and Hilda Spellman.”

Zelda is currently making herself a second margarita, and she asks: “Care for a drink, Miss Novacek?”

“Please, call me Lyla. And yes. Gladly so.”

Lyla looks at Mary and offers her a paper bag: “This is for you,” she simply says.

“Thank you!” Mary smiles. “I told you, you didn’t need to bring anything!”

“No, well, there are some homemade cookies for us to share and there’s a little late birthday present for you, since on Monday I wasn’t ready.”

“But – Lyla!” Mary gasps, and Zelda watches the scene, the grip on the glass so strong she’s afraid she’s going to break it.

Mary digs into the bag and pulls out a jar of honey and a book. _Milk & Honey_.

“Oh, Lyla, thank you!” Mary chirps, coming close to hug the other woman briefly. “I wanted to read that for a while!”

“It’s one of my favorites. I’m glad you like it.”

“Mary, love,” Hilda’s voice calls. “Can you come? The turkey’s ready!”

Mary drops the gifts in Zelda’s arms: “Can you put those away, d – Zelda?”

“Sure,” the redhead nods. She walks to the bookshelf and can’t help but open the book. There’s a dedication, inside: _to happy times and happiest memories. Happy birthday! L._

_I’ll give her the happy memories._

She flips through the pages and stops on a casual poem:

_I want your hands_

_to hold_

_not my hands_

_your lips_

_to kiss_

_not my lips_

_but other places._

“I’ll kill the damn bitch,” she mutters.

Hilda drops an apron on the nearest surface and offers one hand to Lyla: “Hilda Spellman, nice to meet you, love.”

“Hi! Nice to meet you as well.”

Zelda approaches Lyla with the drink.

“Here you go.”

Lyla accepts the drink and is about to ask something when Leticia runs to Zelda: “Mommy, mommy, a drink for me, too!” she demands, and stretches her arms. Zelda bends and hugs her child: “Yes, baby, what do you want? Coke?”

“Yes, please!”

“Oh, she’s your child?” Lyla asks, smiling. “I thought she was your sister’s, for a second.”

“Yes, Hilda is the maternal kind between us, and yet, I am her mother.”

Lyla loses the little color her face had. “I didn’t mean it to be disrespectful, Ms. Spellman.”

“Oh, it’s not,” Zelda shrugs, stroking Leticia’s curls. “It happens every day. Everybody thinks you’re Auntie Hilda’s daughter, uh, Girlfriend?”

“Yes!” Leticia confirmed. “But I’m yours, Mommy!” she turns to Lyla: “She’s the bestest Mommy in the whole wide world!”

Zelda grins and looks toward Mary: “Mary, do you have some Coke for Letty?”

Mary is currently busy cutting the turkey. “Zelda, sweetheart, one second. Hilda, please, take the corns off the grill, they’re burning!”

“I’ll get it for you,” Zelda just tells her daughter and goes over to the fridge to retrieve the Coke, Lyla watching her intently.

“Have you known Mary for long?” she asks Zelda.

“Some months? I don’t remember exactly. Hilda has always attended school meetings.”

“You two seem pretty close,” Lyla comments, as they take places around the table.

“We are,” Zelda assures, a tight smile on her lips. She squeezes Mary’s hand on the table: “Very close. Aren’t we, Mary, dear?”

Mary nods, and looks at Zelda in a way that leaves no doubts. Then, she clarifies: “She’s one of my closest friends.” Thankfully, Letty is chatting with Hilda so she doesn’t hear and can’t correct them.

Mary slides in between Zelda and Lyla, smiling breathtakingly at her girlfriend, Leticia, Hilda and Sabrina on the other side of the table.

“You good to the other side of the table, Bunny?” Zelda asks Leticia, who nods: “Yes, Mommy! I’m with Auntie Hildie!”

“Well,” Hilda smiles, caressing Leticia’s hair. “Should we say what we’re thankful for? I can start.”

Various nods around the table as they take each other’s hands. Silently, Mary strokes the back of Zelda’s lovingly. She’s everything she’s grateful for. She, and everything she’s given her.

“Well,” Hilda starts. “I’ll make it quick. I’m grateful for my sister,” she grins at Zelda, who smirks at her. “For our girls, of course. And for my boyfriend, the first man who actually gave me something stable and beautiful. Everyone should experience something like this.”

“Oh, Auntie, that was just too cute!” Sabrina chirps, while Zelda can’t help but look at Mary. “Can I go?” Sabrina asks.

The women nod, and Leticia looks around, trying to follow what’s going on.

“Well, this always turns out rather predictable, but I’m really grateful for my family, my friends and my boyfriend!” she declares, and then she grins at Lyla: “And for my great teachers as well.”

Lyla smiles and raises a glass in a silent toast. “I just miss my parents, sometimes,” she sighs, and Hilda, who’s the closest of them, reaches out to caress her shoulders.

“Miss Novacek, it’s your turn,” Sabrina smiles, in high spirit again.

“Well, I’m kind of starting fresh here. But I’m really grateful for my job, my students,” and she blinks at Sabrina. “And for everyone who’s making me feel so accepted in a new place,” and her eyes travel over Mary, making the brunette blush.

Zelda takes a sip of wine, fuming. “How lovely,” she comments, raising once again her wine to her lips. _I’m going to kill the fucking bitch. I’m gonna strangle her with the lacy underwear she’s probably wearing, hoping to get fucked by_ my _woman! I’m killing her and burying her. I run a mortuary, it’s the perfect alibi._

“Do you like it?” Mary murmurs, leaning closer. “I know you’re picky about your wine.”

Zelda nods, torn between being angry with her as well.

“Oh!” Mary gasps. “I have to go reheat the mac and cheese.”

“But it’s your turn, Ms. Wardwell,” Sabrina complains as Zelda grins: “Is the mac and cheese for me?”

“Of course,” Mary smiles back.

“Mommy!” Leticia calls. “I telled Mary you love mac and cheese!” she reminds her mother. Then, she frowns: “Not telled.”

“Told,” Mary gently corrected. “Another irregular verb.” She turns to Lyla: “She just hates them.”

Lyla looks at Leticia, puzzled: “How old are you, Leticia?”

“Five!” the little girl exclaims, holding up an opened hand.

“And you know irregular verbs?”

“Sure,” Letty nods, and Sabrina adds: “She can read, as well.”

“I’m impressed,” Lyla grins, as Mary pours some wine for her. “Thank you, Mary,” she says, fluttering her eyelashes in a beautiful way.

“Zelda is a great mom,” Mary nods. “Okay, so, it’s my turn?” she asks, rhetorically. Hoping that Lyla can’t see, she places one of her hands on Zelda’s thigh. “Well, I’m simply going to say that I’m grateful for every one of you.”

“Yeah, same for me,” Zelda bursts in. “And for your mac and cheese as well,” she points out, looking at Mary, making everyone laugh.

“My turn!” Leticia exclaims, while Mary is getting up to go reheat Zelda’s precious mac and cheese.

“Oh, yes!” she nods, without sitting back down. She just stays there, placing a hand on Zelda’s shoulder.

Leticia looks around, confused: “What do I have to do?”  
“You just say something that makes you happy,” Sabrina offers, always knowing the best way to explain things to Leticia in the simplest way.

“My Mommy and Harry?” she asks, tentatively, and the whole table is laughing. Zelda reaches out, and Leticia climbs on her laps like a koala, hiding her face in Zelda’s neck and giggling. The redhead murmurs to the little girl that she loves her to pieces, then quicky sings _che sei tu che mi fai stare bene quando io sto male, e viceversa._

Lyla hears the song, but isn’t so familiar with the mother and daughter dynamic to understand what’s happening. “Is Leticia okay?” she asks Mary.

“Of course,” the brunette nodded. “They’re always like this. Two cuddle bugs.”

“Mary Elizabeth,” Zelda warns, turning her head to shoot a killing glaze at her girlfriend.

“Sooner or later, you’ll stop living in denial, honey pie,” she grins, tugging at Zelda’s hair as she passes, making Leticia and Sabrina giggle. “Honey pie,” she comments. “Nice! It suits you, Auntie Zee.”

“Call me like that once again and I’ll have your head on my wall, Mary Wardwell,” she groans. Everybody laughs, except for Lyla, who’s looking around, clearly uncomfortable.

“It’s just how they are,” Sabrina explains. “Well, it’s how Auntie Zee is, she threatens someone of death twice a day.”

They’re halfway through the royal meal Mary had cooked when Hilda, trying to make conversation, asks Lyla: “So, how are you liking Greendale?”  
“It’s great,” Lyla nods, taking the first taste of the potato pie. “Mary, mmh, this is amazing! I love Greendale and I love Baxter High.” She smiles to Mary: “Everyone is treating me well, someone more, someone less.”

“Oh, Lyla, don’t be a flatterer,” Mary grins. “It’s our pleasure, having you here. And you didn’t have to bring me a present, you know.”

“It was my pleasure,” she answers, smiling widely.

“I can’t wait to read that - I’m always curious to discover new poetry”

“So, do you like it? I wasn’t so sure, poetry isn’t for everyone.”

“It certainly is not,” Mary nods, stopping to take a sip of her wine. “But I love it.”

“Who’s your favorite?” Lyla asks, like a teenager anxious of knowing everything about her idol.

“Elizabeth Bishop,” Mary smiles, a hand reaching up to unconsciously fidget with her necklace.

“Oh, yes!” Lyla exclaims, putting two and two together. “The charm!”

“That’s Mommy’s birthday gift to Mary,” Leticia slips in, proudly announcing the fact. Mary blushes, and Zelda wonders exactly how friendly you have to be to someone to gift them a charm with an engraving which says _My shooting star._

But Lyla is too dumb or too discreet, and she just smiles at Zelda: “That is really beautiful.”

“Thank you,” Zelda nods.

Everything is going well, all things considered. Zelda just wishes that Lyla would just _stop_ touching Mary.

They’re discussing Christmas traditions, when Lyla reaches out to brush a crumble away from Mary’s collar, her fingertips gently caressing her shoulders.

“Thank you,” Mary nods, blushing again.

“The last time we ate together you were pretty capable of attending your own needs alone, Ms. Wardwell,” Zelda states, dryly.

Dinner is almost done – thankfully, Zelda thinks. Lyla is funny and smart and polite and a pretty little girl indeed. She’s sweet with Leticia and Sabrina, chats contently with Hilda. She would have chatted with Zelda as well, but she doesn’t give her too much of a chance. But of course, the object of his attentions is Mary. She praises her cooking, her outfit, she tells the best about her as principal.

“You’re doing a great job, if Lyla talks so fondly about you after just a few days,” Zelda comments, and Hilda quickly kicks her calf under the table. “It’s true!” Zelda muttered.

“Well, Mary is so nice to us teachers,” she shrugs.

“Zelda, sweetie, can you please help me with the desserts?” Mary asks, getting up, trying to change the subject as quickly as possible. Zelda nods and moves her hair behind her shoulder in a beautiful gesture. Mary eats her with her eyes, hoping she isn’t staring too hard and wondering how it can be true that this gorgeous, breathtaking human being is actually hers.

Zelda gets up and together they turn the corner to the kitchen. There’s not a wall that separates the two rooms but laughs and chats come from the table and Mary whispers into Zelda’s ear, inhaling the intoxicating scent of her hair: “I want to kiss you so much.”

Zelda rolls her eyes: “You’re not the one who wants to kiss somebody,” she points out.

“What?” Mary asks, starting to cut the first cake.

“She’s all over you!” Zelda spats, trying to keep her voice down.

“She’s not,” Mary laughed. “She’s just trying to fit in.”

“Yeah, the porny poems, the honey, the constant touching… I know just _where_ she would love to fit!”

Mary laughs and grabs Zelda at her hips, quickly kissing her cheek and then her lips. “I still want to kiss just you. Even more now that I know you’re jealous.”

“I’m not jealous!” Zelda hisses. “But I want to kiss you too.” And she risks another peck, nothing close to the long, wet, toe-curling kiss she wants to give her girlfriend.

And here and there, in the middle of retrieving pies for Thanksgiving dinner, people chatting a few feet from them, a colleague to whom they’re trying to hide their relationship from, Mary murmurs: “I love you.”

It’s the worst moment. Zelda’s eyes widen and Mary gasps.

_Fuck, I told her._

“Mommy! Are you coming back or not?” Leticia’s voice asks from somewhere in the living room, and the spell is broken.

Zelda half-smiles apologetically, reaches out to squeeze Mary’s wrists and goes back to the table.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelda and Mary spend some family time with Leticia, but it's not the bliss they're expecting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my first draft of this story, Mary and Zelda broke up for a while, at this point. As you can see, I chose a different path. I want them to work on their problems together. I hope you like this!
> 
> This is the last update before Christmas, I'll be back for sure before New Year :) <3
> 
> Happy Christmas everyone, and thank you for all the joy you give :*

Mary looks at the papers on her desk, trying to check once again if she’s worked out everything she was supposed to. She looks at her wristwatch: she has thirty minutes before she needs to head out to meet Leticia and Zelda for dinner. The two hours she has worked in the morning hadn’t been enough, and she had come back in the afternoon as well. She sighs, starting to stack the papers neatly in a corner of her big, wooden desk, in order to leave the room tidy. She sighs again as she works, already looking forward for the following morning: Zelda’s eyes in the morning light, Leticia’s cuddles at the breakfast table. The image is vivid in her mind, painted in bright colors. She sighs: it _would_ be perfect, but of course, there was a but: the previous night, everybody has left at the same time, Zelda with a sleeping Leticia in her arms. They had shared a hug, Mary whispering in her ear “I’m looking forward for tomorrow,” to which Zelda had replied with a nod and a smile. Not only she hadn’t replied to her murmured _I love you_ , but Mary could also sense she was angry. Even her usual good morning text, that morning, had suggested that something was off.

She sighs again, getting up to stretch her legs, making a mental note of asking Zelda out alone, sometimes that weekend, to talk things out once and for all.

She checks her phone and finds a text from Zelda – _heading over the restaurant: a bit early, but Letty’s too excited. Waiting for you there!_ She was busy replying with a quick _about to leave school, can’t wait to see you guys_ , when someone knocked on the half-opened door.

How weird. She had told Mrs. Meeks she could go home an hour ago.

“Yes?” she asks tentatively, walking to the door.

“Hey!”

Oh. Lyla.

“Can I come in?” Lyla asks, but does so anyway. She’s dressed in jeans, a bottle green wood sweater, boots and an opened coat. She’s make-up free as well, cheeks red from the cold, eyes shining.

“I was strolling around when I remembered you mentioning you had work to do today, so I thought I could bring you coffee.”

She is, in fact, carrying a to-go steaming cup of coffee, and a book is nestled under her arm. Immediately, a _deja-vu_ hits Mary: a few weeks before, she had stopped by to Dr. Cee’s, telling Zelda she had _casually_ remember her mentioning her lunch plans. Of course, she hadn’t been causally in the neighborhood, and hadn’t casually remember it. She had _planned_ it, choosing accurately what to wear and what could be the best time to show up. What if Zelda is right and Lyla is actually… _hitting_ on her? She looks at the young colleague: she’s stunning, she’s smart, she’s young. She couldn’t be interested in her that way. She is older, she has a peculiar appearance.

“Oh, thank you!” she breathes, when Lyla pushes the cup across the desk. “I seriously needed this.”

She takes a sip, then places the cup on the desk as she takes off the AirPods she’s still wearing and fishes in her purse the cloth to wipe her glasses.

“You look good,” Lyla smiles. “I love your hair like this!”

Mary’s hair is straight, half of it up in a ponytail. She’s wearing a dark blue turtleneck with a pair of grey dress pants, and Lyla is looking at her cautiously. Well, in fact, she’s undressing her with her eyes, but Mary is too humble to see it.

“I’d ask you to sit down,” she excuses herself. “But I actually have somewhere I need to be, so I was about to leave.”

“Of course,” Lyla smiles, taking the hit with grace. “Let me walk you out.”

Mary tries to hide the evident blush on her cheeks fretting around to turn off the lights and retrieve her coat and her purse. “All done,” she announces, and as they’re walking outside across the dark hall, Lyla comments, as casually as she can: “I hope your plans for tonight include something fun or I could save you, you know…”

Mary lets out a nervous laugh: “No, no, it’s definitely going to be fun…”. She stops, because she doesn’t really know what to add. If she mentions that she’s meeting Zelda and Leticia, again, it’s probably going to sound strange. If she says she’s going to meet some friends, it’d probably require that she should invite her to come along, considering that she’s all alone and doesn’t know anyone. Before she can wrap her head about what to add, they stop next to Mary’s car, and Lyla says: “Well, I was wondering if you could show me around, sometimes. I heard that you’re the town’s unofficial historian and I’m always thirsty for that.” She laughs, smart and nice. “I could pay you back in caffeine and sweets and plus, it would be a nice change, spending the afternoon not alone, but with someone as nice and smart as you are…” she blushes: “I’m sorry, I’m talking too much. I have a rambling tendency.”

“It’s fine,” Mary smiles back, reaching out to squeeze the woman’s shoulder. She feels sorry for her: she knows solitude. She knows it really well.

“Of course,” she nods. “I would love to show you around.”

Catching her completely off guard, Lyla reaches out and quickly hugs Mary.

“Oh!” Mary breathes, laughing softly. “It’s all right,” she reassures her, gently breaking off the hug.

“Mary!” a happy, little, excited voice calls, and she turns around, following the sound of little shoes on the gravelly ground. Leticia is running in her direction, followed by Zelda, looking crushingly beautiful but face a mask of stone, a beautiful and dangerous contrast to the fire in her eyes.

“Sweet pie!” Mary exclaims, kneeling and opening her arms to the little girl.

“Hi!!!” Leticia giggles, hugging her tightly. Mary stands up, bringing Leticia with her, who immediately finds a comfortable position and hooks her little legs around Mary’s hips.

“Lyla! Hello!” she grins, stretching out a little arm, silently begging for a kiss. Lyla leans close and putting a gentle hand on Mary’s shoulder for better balance, kisses Leticia’s cheek. “Hello, Leticia,” she smiles. “How nice seeing you again.”

“Hello,” a cold voice greets, and Zelda stops, a few steps from them. “I didn’t know Baxter High would be this crowned, on a Friday night. I hope we’re not interrupting anything.”

“Oh, nonsense,” Mary dismisses.

“I just stopped by to bring Mary some coffee,” Lyla explains, pointing to the cup in the brunette’s hand.

“We wanted to surprise you,” Leticia tells Mary. “Can we go eat, now?”

“We sure can,” Mary grins, kissing the tip of Leticia’s nose. “Aren’t you the prettiest thing I’ve seen today?”

Leticia blushes and giggles, then looks at her mom, then at Mary again.

“Mary?”

“Yes, love?”

“How come you didn’t kiss Mommy hello?” she asks, concerned.

Mary couldn’t help but blush. _Crap._

“I was too busy hugging you,” she giggles, trying to sound casual enough. Leticia stretches out a hand to Zelda and includes her Mommy in the hug. Forgetting everything about Lyla, the one way _I love you_ and her own abandonment issues, Mary kisses Zelda’s cheek with as much abandon as she could, breathing deeply in her scent. Zelda accepts the kiss in silence, not even smiling.

“Shall we go?” Mary asks Letty.

“We better be, if we don’t want to miss our reservation,” Zelda points out.

“I’ll see you on Monday, Lyla,” Mary smiles.

“Have a nice weekend. Bye, Zelda, Leticia.”

“Bye, Lyla!” Letty waves.

They take Zelda’s car to the restaurant.

Choosing to play the innocence card, Mary places a hand on Zelda’s thigh as she drives.

“Mary?” Leticia asks from the backseat as Zelda pulls over in front of the restaurant.

“Yes, Letty, baby?”

“Why you were hugging Lyla?”

Tension could be cut with a knife.

“I didn’t hug her, Letty,” Mary explains. “I just did something nice for her, and she hugged me to say thank you, you know?”  
“Something nice like what, for instance?” Zelda asks, suddenly interested in the conversation, but Leticia interrupts her: “Lyla is super nice!” she says.

“Terrific,” Zelda murmurs as they get off the car. Mary tries to reach for Zelda, but she shoots her a killing gaze.

“She is,” Mary nodded to Leticia. “She just moved here and she’s lonely. I feel sorry for her, I know how it feels.”

Letty looks at Mary with wide eyes: “But you’re not lonely, Mary!” she protests, and runs into her arms.

“I know, sweet pea,” Mary murmurs, hugging her and looking into Zelda’s eyes: “I’m not. Not anymore.”

As they enter the restaurant and take their places around the table, however, the vibes are slightly off. Leticia is chatting like she usually does, and Mary does her best to listen to her and answer her questions, but a part of her is feeling hurt about Zelda not saying I love you back, and she isn’t even understanding why she was so cold. She scoots closer and hoops an arm around her chair: “Do you want to choose two things and share?”

Zelda nods, and Mary takes her hand, resting on the table, and kisses her knuckles. “Hey, you okay?”

Zelda sighs and smiles at her, tentatively. “I am,” she confirms. “A little tired, I suppose.”

Mary moves her hair away from her shoulders and kisses the mole on her temple: “Tomorrow we’ll have the day just to ourselves.”

Zelda turns and looks at her in the eyes: “No interruptions? Just us?”

Mary looks into her eyes and feels once again the magnitude of her love for this woman. “I promise, my darling,” she whispers, and she’s wondering if she should kiss Zelda, when she hears Leticia giggle.

“What?” Zelda asks.

“Give Mary a kiss, Mommy,” Letty grins.

Zelda looks at Mary and says: “Well, should we make the little lady happy?”  
“I suppose we could,” Mary smirks, and places a tender, soft kiss on Zelda’s lips. Zelda puts her hand on Mary’s cheek and extends the contact for a few more seconds. Then, she pecks Mary’s lips again, then smiles at Leticia: “Happy?”

The little girl nods and focus her attention back on the menu.

“The New York strips sound good, what do you think?” Mary asks, seizing the opportunity to wrap a loose arm around Zelda, squeezing lightly the supple flesh of her hip.

“Hands to yourself until you answer a question,” Zelda mutters, checking if Leticia is listening, but she’s taking her time: she likes to read all the menu, top to bottom. Zelda turns to Mary: “You told Leticia you did something nice for Lyla.”  
“And you want to know what that is.”

Zelda just nodded. “It would be nice.”

“She just asked if sometimes I can show her around.”

“Mary Wardwell!” Zelda gasps. “And you said yes?”

“What was I supposed to do?” Mary shrugs. “I mean, I feel sorry for her, she’s just here, alone, and with Christmas approaching…”

“Yes, yes,” Zelda dismisses, accepting the beer the waiter’s placing for her on the table. “We all feel sorry for dear little Lyla, I get it.”  
“Zelda…”  
“No, Mary, you don’t get to say Zelda with that tone, like it’s somehow _my_ fault. I’m not the one trying to win over someone who’s taken! Leticia, slow down with those fries, no one is going to take them away from you.”

Leticia frowns: “Mommy, you being mean,” she murmurs. “I’m just eating.”

“Leticia,” Zelda just says, with a warning tone, and Mary expects the little girl to burst into tears.

“Are they good, sweet pea?” the brunette asks, leaning toward Leticia and offering her her cheek, which the little girl kisses immediately, even if she maintains a slight pout. She nods and starts picking at the fries.

“I’m going to the bathroom,” Zelda announces, standing up. “Are you good with Mary for a second, Bunny?”

Leticia nods without looking at Zelda, and once the redhead is out of sight, Leticia’s eyes fill with tears.  
“Oh, no, no, baby,” Mary murmurs, opening her arms to Leticia, who gladly climbs in her lap.

“I hate when Mommy’s mean,” she mumbles, tucking her head under Mary’s chin. The brunette gently moves her bangs away for her forehead in order to place there a gentle kiss.

“It’s okay,” she whispers. “She’s just stressed up.”

“Really?” she asks quietly.

“Of course,” Mary assures, kissing her head once again. She looks up just to find Zelda staying there, looking at the scene, puzzled.

“Letty?” she calls, tentatively. “What’s up, princess?”

Instead of answering her mom, Letty buries her face in Mary’s chest deeper. Sighing, the brunette strokes her hair. “Sweet pea, why don’t you talk to your Mommy?” she asks, and Leticia moves to look at her with a stern look: “I won’t talk to her if she mean.”

Mary can’t help it, and she starts giggling. “I’m sorry, sweet pea, but you look _so much_ like your Mommy when you’re angry!”

“Are you mocking us, Ms. Wardwell?” Zelda asks, smirking at Leticia.

“You Spellman and your bad attitude,” Mary giggles again, kissing Letty’s nose. “But you’re so cute I can’t be angry with you guys.” She tickles Letty’s tummy, and the little girl laughs softly. “Mary, Mary, you’re tickling me! Stoooop!”

Taking advantage of the moment, Zelda sits next to her daughter and tickles her as well.

“Mommy, Mommy, not you too!” Leticia cries, laughing even harder.

“We’ll stop if you drop the Zelda Spellman attitude!” Mary tells her, and Zelda complains: “Hey!”

“Mommy is worse than me,” Leticia points out, still squirming under Mary’s hands.

“You’re right!” Mary gasps dramatically, dropping the tickling. “What should I do with her, Letty?”

“I dunno,” Leticia giggles, moving to sit in her mom’s lap. Zelda doesn’t think twice and cuddles her daughter close.

“I’m sorry, baby,” Zelda murmurs, giving her another kiss, and Leticia sighs: “It’s ‘kay. But don’t be mean to Mary and me.”

“I won’t,” Zelda promises, then gently slaps her hip: “Now go eat you fries.”

Leticia goes back to her seat and Zelda scoots closer to Mary: “So, are you going to give me my half of the food? Or are you going to eat all of this by yourself?”

“Listen to your daughter. No food for girls who’re mean to their girlfriends.”

Zelda claims a plate for herself and shoots a killing gaze at Mary: “No food for me because I’m mean and no food for you because you’re batting your eyelashes at young, pretty things.”

Mary looks at her sternly: “I really hope you’re joking.”

“Oh, Mary, your cooking is so good,” Zelda mocks, placing her opened hand on her chest and replaying Lyla’s deep voice, New York accent included. “Oh, Mary, you’re so good to us poor stupid little teachers! Oh, Mary, darling Mary, you are so smart! The sun rises and shines on your ass!”

Leticia is laughing loudly, even if she doesn’t understand what’s exactly happening, and Mary can’t help and does it, as well. But she’s having so much fun, she even forgot to scold Zelda about using a bad word.

“You, clown,” Mary giggles as her girlfriend. “Can we talk about something different than Lyla, perhaps?” she suggests.

“But of course, sweetheart!” Zelda replies. “Let’s talk about how good you are to your fellow teachers, it’s a matter I’m so much involved in,”

“Zelda, c’mon, _stop_ ,” Mary groans. “Let’s just drop the matter and enjoy the meal.”

“Of course,” Zelda replies, her tone neutral, as she takes a sip of her beer.

“Can we watch TV, Mary?” Letty asks, dropping her backpack next to the couch.

“Yes, of course,” Mary smiles, turning on a few lamps, like she always does at night. “Do you want to come upstairs with me, first? I can show you the room you and your Mommy are going to sleep in, and you can put on your pjs, if you want to.”

Leticia stops and looks from Mary to Zelda, concern written all over her face.

“Are you still girlfriends?”

Mary looks at Zelda, puzzled, and the redhead raises an eyebrow at Leticia: “Of course we still are, Bunny. Why are you asking this?”

“You’re acting strange,” she points out, hands on her hips, expression stolen from Zelda Spellman. “And on Thanksgiving you didn’t kiss and now Mary wants us to sleep ‘way from her. I don’t wanna sleep in the other room, I want to sleep with you and Mommy like on my birthday!” she declares.

Zelda and Mary look at each other and Zelda sighs, sitting down on the couch. “At Thanksgiving we didn’t kiss because we didn’t want Lyla to know that we’re dating. She’s Mary’s colleague and it’s a little early for them to know it, a school. We don’t want them to think that Sabrina is being treated differently for the others, do you understand it, Bunny?”

Leticia thinks hard, biting her bottom lip. “I think I do.”

“And for tonight,” Mary adds, kneeling down in front of them, “It was my fault, I supposed you’d want to sleep with your Mommy, you know?”

“U-uh,” Leticia hummed, shaking her head no. “I want to sleep with you both.”

Mary looks at Zelda, and when she nods, she takes Leticia’s face between her hands: “Well, I’m sorry I didn’t understand it, sweet pea. Let’s bring your stuff up to my room and then we can watch TV, what do you say?”

Leticia hugs Mary, giggling, and asks: “Can you make me chamomile tea?”

“Of course!” Mary grins. She and Zelda take Leticia’s hands and they go upstairs to change into their pjs and to help Leticia wash up for the night.

Zelda is in the bathroom, brushing Leticia’s hair, when Mary arrives behind them, changed, hair up in a bun, and puts her hands on Zelda’s shoulders.

“Do you want to remove your make-up now or later?” she asks. She’s seen Zelda without her make-up a few times, by now – well, she’s seen her sick, puking her guts out – but she knows Zelda is still unconfident about it. The redhead doesn’t look so sure, but she nods all the same and hands the brush to Mary: “Can you please finish this so I can wash my face and brush my teeth?”

Mary brushes Letty’s hair and puts some of her own cream on Letty’s face as the little girl giggles furiously. Zelda washes her face, removes her make up, brushes her teeth and lets down her red curls.

“All done?” she then asks.

“Yes!” Leticia cries. “Can we read instead of watching TV?” she asks.

“Of course,” Mary nods. “We can do whatever you want to do.”

“Bunny, Mommy doesn’t feel like reading out loud tonight, do you mind?” Zelda asks. “I’m a little tired.”  
“I can read for you,” Mary proposes immediately. “If you don’t mind, darling.” She moves her gaze from Zelda to Leticia. “I’ve been wanting to read to you for a while, sweet pea.”

Leticia’s eyes lit up with excitement: “Really, Mary?”  
“Yes,” she smiles, picking the little girl up in her arms. “How about we cuddle in my bed and read for a while? And what does the princess want for breakfast, tomorrow?”  
“Eggs with bacon,” she grinned. “Mommy’s favorite.”

“I have a thing for eggs,” Zelda declares, wrapping one of her arms around her two girls.

Mary’s bedroom is the definition of cozy. Four pillows, a hot water bottle, a fluffy blanket, a carpet. The bureau is covered in lit candles, and they get into Mary’s bed.

Mary lays with the Harry Potter illustrated book in her lap (Leticia doesn’t go anywhere without hers, but Mary is well provided of her own), Zelda lying next to her and Leticia spread out horizontally, her head in Zelda’s lap as she cuddles the hot water bottle.

“This bed is already a furnace,” Zelda complains, but she starts petting her daughter’s hair immediately.

“You can go to the guest room, if you want,” Mary mocks her.

“Don’t be a killjoy, Mommy,” Leticia yawns.

“Where did you hear that word?”  
“’Brina told ‘Brose once,” she explains. “Don’t remember.”

“The joys of motherhood. And I’m not just talking about Leticia.”

Mary laughs softly, while Zelda makes herself more comfortable and nuzzles the brunette’s shoulder with her head. Mary smiles softly and puts her arm around her shoulders, bringing Zelda’s head to rest on her bosom.

She starts reading, softly, her voice a smooth tune. Leticia falls asleep within two chapters, and Mary closes her book in her lap.

“She’s asleep?” she asks, peaking at the little girl’s face.

“Yes,” Zelda murmurs, moving Leticia gently to lay properly on the bed.

“Come back here for a while,” Mary whispers, taking her in her arms again. Zelda lays down, her head on the pillow, and Mary scoots closer, supporting her head on her hand. She takes Zelda’s hand with her free one, and Zelda brings their joined hands against her heart.

“My sweet girl,” Mary whispers, looking at her reverently. “I can’t believe you’re in my bed.”

She leans closer and kisses Zelda’s parting lips, tasting her.

“You’re so beautiful.”

“More than Lyla?” Zelda asks, looking away.

Mary’s eyes widen. “Zelda, are you really this insecure about Lyla?” she asks, even if she knows the answer already. Zelda doesn’t like to show her weaknesses. If she dares tell her that, well, she must be.

She gently cups Zelda’s cheek. “Zelda, there’s nothing between Lyla and I. Okay?”

“I guess,” Zelda shrugs. “Can we go to sleep?”  
“No. We’re not avoiding the topic. How can I get you to understand?”  
Zelda gives her a reply Mary wasn’t definitely expecting. “Just hold me?” she murmurs. She sighs and leans down to kiss her waiting mouth once again, deeper and longer than before. She snuggles under the cover in the same moment Letty rolls on the other side, forgetting about the hot water bottle and clinging to her mother’s back. Zelda turns over to cuddle her daughter, and Mary spoons her from behind. But as her senses melt in Zelda’s scent and she feels sleep take her over, she knows they’re just avoiding talking, once again.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary and Zelda have a nice, quite lunch together on Zelda's birthday, and start talking things out.
> 
> aka, Zelda's birthday, part 1!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, I said no more updates until AFTER Christmas. Who cares? 
> 
> I've started working on Let it Be Me epilogue, if someone is reading that too, and I might start something new around New Year. I MIGHT. Since I have a few ideas, would you guys prefer another AU or something canon?
> 
> If you haven't, yet, go check my Instagram (madamnovelist) to see a spectacular fan art my friend ig.madamspellman made for Talking ♡ even if by now everyone has seen the thing, since Miranda shared it on her stories, making me, in order: drop my phone, insult my friend, drop dead on the desk.

Whoever knows the Spellmans can definitely state than Hilda and Zelda are two completely different people.

If Zelda had completely skipped mentioning whatever Thanksgiving plan, Hilda had phoned Mary the first week of December to invite her over for a holiday sleepover which included Christmas’ Eve and Christmas day.

As the holiday and the winter break approach, Mary feels more stressed out than ever. Including the work she has to do for school, she’s discovering that Christmas with the Spellmans is going to be an interesting affair, to say the least. There are gifts to buy (Zelda’s family, including Ambrose, who Mary is finally going to meet), recipes to talk about with Hilda, shopping to do and outifts to plan. And of course two Christmas trees, for the cottage and for the mortuary, to buy and to decorate, which Leticia has been very specifical about.

Zelda is still clearly annoyed by Lyla’s presence, who’s always trying to find occasions to have a coffee and to chat with Mary, but the truth is that both Zelda _and Mary_ still need to talk about what’s clearly bothering them. They’re mainly focused on Christmas plans, and with everything going on they haven’t had time to spend time alone in two weeks.

Mary is currently torn between the need to be alone with Zelda, to talk with her, to have sex with her (that _too_ ), and the need to plan whatever she has to.

She sighs, deciding to take a pause from her work. It’s recess, after all, and she can easily take a coffee and chat with some colleague. She looks at the planner on her desk and smiles softly: it’s Zelda’s birthday.

Her phone, resting on her desk, rings: it’s Zelda. Speaking of the devil. They had already FaceTimed that morning, along with some flirty text messages, but she answers her phone with a wide grin on her face: “Hello, darling!”

It’s been about twenty days since she had told Zelda _I love you_ , and she hasn’t said it back, neither have they talked about it. She sees something, in Zelda’s eyes, every time they are together. The need to say more, to do more, and it ends with Zelda seeking comfort and shelter in Mary.

Mary curses the fact that they’re never alone and takes a note of asking Zelda out, even for just a coffee.

“Hey, you, I know you’re working and I’m sorry to interrupt you.”

“You’re not,” Mary smiles. “I’, just about to take a coffee break. And it’s always nice to hear your voice.”

She gets up and leaves her office to go get that coffee while she chats whit her girlfriend. She hears Zelda sigh in the phone, then a breath: “Fuck, I miss you.”

“I miss you too,” Mary nods.

“I’m calling to ask for a favor. Leticia is freaking out about my birthday gift and she practically begged me to ask you if you could go shopping with her, this afternoon. She normally goes with Hilda, but she wants you, this year. Of course, if you –”

“No, no,” Mary interrupts her. “Are you joking? It would be amazing to go shopping with Leticia.”

“What time are you off?”  
“I can sneak out at one, I suppose. I should be done with my last meeting by then.”

“If you want, I can meet you there and we can have lunch together before picking up Leticia at three. And then you can come back here for dinner? I’m sorry, this will take all of your afternoon…”  
“Zelda, it’s a pleasure, seriously. I’m more than happy to do it. It’s okay. And just so I know – the lunch plan includes just me and you?”

“It does!” Zelda confirms, and Mary is sure she can feel she excitement in her tone.

“This is such a good day,” she grins.

“Are you going out, sister?”

Hilda enters the kitchen and spots Zelda making herself an espresso, wearing dress pants, a leopard-print blouse and black stilettos.

“Yes,” she nods, without looking at her sister. “Do you want some coffee?”

“That would be lovely,” Hilda sighs, sliding down on a chair. She’s more on the tea side, but she won’t let an occasion like this slip by. It’s not every day that you see Zelda in such an inclined mood. “It’s been a while since we talked.”

Zelda puts the espressos and the sugar on a tray and carries it on the table.  
“What do you want to talk about?” she asks, sitting in front of Hilda, on the other side of the table.

“Well, Mary, of course,” Hilda grins. “It’s everything okay, between the two of you?” she asks. Zelda makes a face and Hilda sighs: “Okay, that’s what I was expecting.”

“I’m not going to turn into one of those women sighing and bitching all day over their love life. It’s enough that I’m dating her seriously and that she’s becoming such an important part in Leticia’s life.”

“It’s not sighing and bitching if you talk about it with your sister once in a while. Does it scare you, the bond they’re developing? They’re clearly crazy for each other.”

“They are,” Zelda nods, taking a sip of her coffee. “I should be worried, but I’m… I’m not worrying about their relationship per se, it’s just one of the things I have to consider if we’re not going to work.”

“And what makes you think that you’re not? Mary loves you, it’s as clear as daylight. Has she told you?”

“Yes,” Zelda sighs. “On Thanksgiving. You know, when we went to pick up the desserts?”

Hilda smiles: “I kind of noticed something shifting. Did you say it back? Was it exciting?”

“It was _terrifying_! And of course, I still need to say it back. I’m – I don’t know, I’ve never fallen in love with anyone, and dating Mary is just so different than dating Faustus.”

Hilda laughs throatily. “Well, sweetie, thanks God for that, don’t you think?”

“She’s just… _so sweet_ ,” Zelda grimaces. “She’s someone for you, or for Sabrina. She’s always doing little things for me like cooking my comfort food or paying for stuff or cooking me dinner. She constantly tells me how beautiful I am, and how much she loves Leticia. And…”

“And have you two –” Hilda grins. “Well, done _that thing_.”

“ _Sex_ , Hilda. I mean, you have a boyfriend! Do you play cards with him or what? And yes, we’ve had sex, we _are_ having sex, and that’s just as great as everything else. And she scolds me if I don’t eat, can you believe this? She held my hair back when I was sick and I don’t deserve someone like her, Hildie. I don’t.”

“Oh, love,” Hilda sighs, and gets up to wrap her arms around her big sister, stroking her hair and her back. “This is just normal, you know?”

“If I was sick, Faustus slept on the couch.”

Hilda hugs Zelda even tighter, kissing her head. “He’s gone, love. Now it’s time you start forgetting, you know? You have an amazing partner, and you deserve to be happy.”

“And what if it goes badly? It can happen. It happened with Faustus – I mean, he wasn’t like that, when we started dating.”

“If it goes badly, there’s nothing you can do about it. People are not perfect, neither are relationships. What do you think, that I never had issues with Lance, or him, with me? Everyone has issues because being in love with someone makes us weaker, and people don’t like to be weak. It’s just as simple as that.”

“I don’t deserve her,” Zelda shrugs.  
“Well, sister, you have to tell her all of this, I don’t care if you don’t like the sound of it - and you have to stop thinking that you don’t deserve her because it could seriously lead to screw you up, you know?”

“What are you talking about?” Zelda sighs, lightening a cigarette.  
“It’s a phycological thing. If you think you don’t deserve something, you’ll probably going to do something that will make you unworthy of it for real. It doesn’t matter if you can’t tell Mary _I love you_ back, you know? She’ll probably won’t mind waiting. I’m sure she just wants you to be honest with her.”

Mary pulls on her coat and grabs her purse. She makes a quick stop to the bathroom to pee and to check her make-up.

Zelda is waiting for her against her car, a smirk on her face, flurry black coat and cigarette in her cigarette holder. Mary wants to just jump in her arms and kissing the living daylight out of her, but she refrains herself and straightens her back.

“Hello,” Zelda murmurs, rolling her bottom lips between her teeth in a gesture that, she knows, makes Mary wet beyond all reasons.

“Hey, birthday girl,” Mary grins, and after a look around, noticing that no one is looking at them, she steals a quick kiss on her lips. “Hi, my love,” she whispers before stepping back from Zelda’s personal space, keeping one hand on her hip and using the other to toy with one bottom of her coat. Zelda hooks an arm around her waist, feeling in her bones the danger of getting lost in those ocean eyes.

“How are you?” Zelda asks, a wide smile on her face. She roams Mary’s face with her eyes, trying to drink into every details. It feels like forever – even if they see each other frequently, it’s been a while since they could spend time alone, just to be together and enjoy each other. Zelda hopes that the guilt she’s feeling doesn’t show in her eyes.

“I’m fine. And you?” she briefly touches the end of a curl, tugging on it gently. “We have to go somewhere else, somewhere I could at least kiss you,” she giggles. For a second, Zelda considers throwing every caution out of the window and kiss her right here and there, but a soft voice interrupts them: “Hello, there.”

They break apart and turn, just to see Lyla standing there.

“Hey, Lyla,” Mary smiles, taking a step back from Zelda. Great – just great. Now Lyla would know for sure that she’s in love with Sabrina’s aunt.

“Hello,” Zelda greets, tight-lipped.

“It’s so nice to see you guys!” Lyla smiles. “Are you here to pick up Sabrina, Zelda? Because I think she still has two hours to go.”

“I’m aware of my own niece’s schedule, thank you,” Zelda replies with a smile, trying to swallow sarcasm and irritation. “I’m meeting Mary, obviously.” She glances at the wristwatch: “Actually, _sweetheart_ , we have to go, if we don’t want to be late. Leticia would probably kill us!”

“I will see you tomorrow, Lyla,” Mary just smiles before Zelda grabs her arm and technically pulls her away.

“You have a way to be subtle, Zelds,” Mary giggles as they walk to the restaurant.

“If you invite her over for Christmas, I’ll kill you.”

“Holy Mother, no! Why would I?”

Zelda turned to look at her, just raising an eyebrow. Mary giggles: “That was your niece, not me.”

They’re considerably far from school – Zelda stops, grabs Mary by the collar of her coat and pulls their bodies close, kissing her on her lips.

“Besides, she’s flying to Chicago to spend the holidays with her parents,” Mary shrugs, as Zelda keeps her in her arms and kisses her behind her ear.

“What do you know about her holiday plans?” Zelda asks, frowning.

“She’s my colleague, we talk,” Mary giggles, leaning over to steal another kiss.

“I’d rather you stop talking about her when you have your tongue in my mouth, thank you.”

Mary laughs again and holds Zelda’s face in her hands. “Let’s go eat,” she breaths. “Before I forget that we’re in the middle of the street.”

“Mmh,” Zelda moans, nipping on Mary’s lips. “I want to make love to you so badly,” she confesses, looking into her eyes.

“I do, too, my love,” Mary nods, stroking the like of her jawline with one finger.  
They resume their walking to the restaurant, and Mary linked her arm around Zelda’s waist and rests her head on her shoulder.

They sit in a corner of the restaurant. The setting is warm and cozy, and instead of sitting in front of each other, they snuggle up next to each other on the wooden bench, because it’s more convenient, given their habit of sharing food, and because they have missed each other’s company so much.

“The fact that we haven’t been alone for so long is making me disturbingly cuddly,” Zelda grimaces, nursing a glass of vodka and Martini and resting her head on her girlfriend’s shoulder.

“Well, I’d tell you that this makes me wish we’re apart more often, but that would just be a lie. And you shouldn’t drink vodka in the middle of the day, dear.”  
Mary kisses briefly Zelda’s forehead.

They’re in the same place they had had breakfast the morning of their third date – the morning they had first kissed – and the blonde waitress who had showed an interest in Zelda shows up to take their order.

“Hey! It’s nice to see you guys again!” she smiles, even if she’s just looking at Zelda. The redhead instinctively straightens her back, but Mary holds her close.

“My _girlfriend_ wanted to go somewhere else, but I like it here,” she answers, stressing the word _girlfriend._

“Oh, why?” the waiter asks, pushing out her prominent chest and placing her hand on her hip. “Wasn’t I good enough, the last time you were here?”  
Zelda laughs and blushes: “No, no, everything was good, thank you. She’s just joking,” she explains, shooting a loving, warm look at Mary. They place their orders, and when the waitress walks away, Zelda turns in Mary’s arms.

“I love it when you get jealous,” she giggles.

“Last time we were here I couldn’t, but now I can do everything it takes to have that bitch know that you’re taken,” Mary grins, kissing Zelda’s mouth.

“Exactly what I want to do with your precious little protégé,” Zelda smiles, kissing Mary again but pinching softly her thigh.

“ _Ouch_!” Mary protests. “And let me handle Lyla, okay? She’s not our problem.”

“I’ll decide if she is our problem or not, but for now, let’s just forget about her for a second, I need to talk to you about something.”

Zelda is forced to stop by the waitress with their orders. She’s so engrossed in what she finally needs to take off her chest that she doesn’t even notice how the young girl is smiling at her.

“I’m listening,” Mary tells her as soon as they’re alone once again, taking her hand.

“It’s about what you said on Thanksgiving,” Zelda murmurs, eyes closed. Her sister is right. She needs to be honest with Mary.

“Oh, no, no,” Mary pleads, squeezing Zelda’s hand. “Love, it’s your birthday. Let’s just eat and then we can go pick Letty up and… Let’s just enjoy this brief time we have together, okay?”

“Please, I need to tell you this,” Zelda sighs. “I won’t be able to relax until we’ve talked about it. Please?”

Mary nods. “Okay, if that’s so important to you, of course. I’m listening.”

“There are… lots of things that I still need to tell you,” Zelda starts. She can’t believe how hard it is to vomit out everything, she doesn’t believe it in the exact moment she does. Her throat feels dry and feels like crying, but Mary is worth it. _She’s worth it._

“Things about me, and about Faustus. I want to tell you everything,” she nods. “And I will. With time. Today, I’ll start with this.” She takes a pause, inhales a deep breath. She avoids looking at Mary, she knows she won’t be able to talk, if she does.

“I’ve never been in love in my life,” she says, and then, just then, she looks at Mary. “Things before Faustus were random, casual. Mostly about sex. Faustus was – well, my therapist used to say that I need to call things with their own names, so I guess I can say that he was abusive. Verbally, physically.” She glances at the plate in front of her. “See? I love salmon. I would probably have fought you to have the last bite, but even if it’s been years, there’s still something about him, in me. Put that with my bad attitude… Mary, I don’t deserve you,” she shrugs, and she barely hears Mary gasping. “I don’t deserve you and it doesn’t mean that I don’t know what’s happening. I… I’m dealing with what I feel you for you, but I don’t know if I can say the words right now.”

“Zelda –”  
“One more second,” Zelda whispers, brushing her fingers over Mary’s lips. Of course, the brunette kisses them. Zelda takes both of Mary’s hands and kisses each back. “I know you deserve more. You are… you are the most amazing person I’ve ever met in my life. You are beautiful, strong, kind, you do a great work, and… take Lyla, she’s ten years younger than us and she’s crazy about you. You deserve everything, not a moody, middle aged bitch with a few extra pounds, a noise family and a child who probably has attachment issues, and –”

Mary gathers her in her arms and squeezes her strongly, interrupting her rambling.

“Zelda, stop,” she breathes, kissing her face – her forehead, her nose, her lips. “I really wish you’d stop saying that you don’t deserve me. I was alone before I met you, and you’ve given me everything. And Leticia is the joy of my days.” She takes Zelda’s face in her hands and caresses her cheeks. “If you’re not ready to say I love you, okay. It’s not a problem. I just want you to be happy – and I want you to eat,” she giggles. “Everyone has issues.”

A few tears roll down Zelda’s face, and Mary whips them away with her thumb.

“Thank you,” Zelda breathes, hiding her face in her neck and squeezing her tightly. Gaining back her composure, she kisses Mary softly and lovingly. “I can’t say the words, right now, but I can still try to make you feel loved.”

“Speaking of love,” Mary starts, blinking at Zelda and starting to roam in her bag.  
“What?” Zelda inquires, wiping her eyes and smiling back. “How’s my make-up?”

“Perfect. Here you go –” and Mary places on the table two boxes, a wooden one and a black one. “Happy birthday, Tough Gal.”

Zelda smiles, biting her bottom lip. “Presents already? And wait, why do I have two? You got just one.”

“I’m not even going to answer that. And I wanted a few moments alone. C’mon, do open up!”

“Where should I start?” Zelda asks, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear, and Mary wanted to kiss that shy expression off her face.

“Start with the wooden box.”

“Very well...” With another shy smile, Zelda uncovers the top and finds twenty-four perfectly lined roses in their most gorgeous, bloomed state. In the middle, there was a card.

“Oh my – Mary! Those are gorgeous!”

“They’re going to last a year,” Mary explained.

“And – oh my God, there’s a card! I didn’t write you a card, I didn’t even realize I was supposed to… I’m a shitty girlfriend.”

“Zelda, not with this again,” Mary scolds, but then caresses her hair with a smile. “I’ve had my birthday more than twenty days ago and how often have you even seen me since then?”

“Every two days?” Zelda guesses. “I don’t know, but I mean, what do we care, right now?”

“Have you ever seen me without the necklace you got me?”

Zelda looks down, where the engraved charm is resting on Mary’s breasts, over the turtleneck she’s wearing. Zelda shakes her head and Mary shrugs: “So can you please stop? I’m waiting for you to open up those stuff.”

Smiling, Zelda opened the simple red card and looks at Mary’s messy handwriting: _Happy birthday, Tough Gal! The first of, I hope, many birthdays together – I’ll do whatever I can to make it happen. Thank you for everything you give to me every day and even if we’re not saying it, nowadays, I love you so much._

It was signed with a M and a little heart. Zelda finds her eyes wet and leans over to kiss her girlfriend, sighing in her mouth. “Thank you,” she murmurs against her lips. “You’re the best, it’s perfect.”

“Wait until you’ve seen the actual gift,” Mary giggles while Zelda takes the other box and opens it, revealing a Kate Spade smartwatch.

“Mary!” she gasps. “Oh my gosh! This is amazing!”

Mary sighs in relief: “Okay, thank God you like it. I was really scared.”

“But – this is so expensive.”

“Like I’m not wearing a white gold necklace. Zelda, please. Do you like it?”

“I do,” Zelda smiles. “It’s high tech in a fashion, how can I not like it?”  
“Of course,” Mary giggles, kissing Zelda’s cheek. “So, relax and enjoy your gifts. I’m more than happy to be spoiling you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Christmas if you're celebrating, and if you're not, I just wish you a merry, happy time! ♡  
> love, E.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary spends the night at the Spellman's and celebrates with her girlfriend, while Zelda learns something more about herself.

“Mary, what are we going to do with Mommy’s Christmas gift?” Leticia asks while Mary unbuckles her in front of the mortuary, the night of Zelda’s birthday.

“Leave it in the car, sweet pea. I’m going to bring it home and put it with the other gifts I have, and I’ll bring it back on Christmas Eve.”

According to the plan, Mary had shown up – alone – to pick up Leticia, and the little girl had gone mad when she’d seen her. She had started jumping and had given Mary one very long hug, before keeping her little arms tightly hooked around her neck and introducing her to her teacher as her Mommy’s girlfriend.

They had had hot cocoa and some cookies in a coffee shop, before hitting the shops on the lookout for Zelda’s perfect gift.

“What do you need to get Mommy?” Mary had asked while strolling hand in hand.

“Something for today and something for Christmas,” Letty had explained. “I made a card already. What did you get Mommy?”

“For her birthday? Flowers, a card, and a smartwatch.”

“ _Wow_!” Letty had chirped.

The little girl had shown up for the trip with her savings, plus 50$ Zelda had given her at the last moment, lecturing her about not letting Mary paying for everything. At some point, Leticia had spotted a little antique shop, and telling Mary that that was exactly the kind of shop Zelda likes, had requested they went in. And there, they had found a pair of vintages, rose gold drop earrings, and a matching set with a golden necklace and bracelet, made of a big, loose chain. Leticia had _lost it_.

“Mary, Mary, can I buy those?”

“Of course,” Mary had nodded, stroking the little girl’s hair. They had asked for the price, and the items were of course much expensive than anything Leticia could afford. Not that Mary had any intention to let her pay.

“How about you buy the earrings for the birthday? So she can have the matching set from the both of us on Christmas,” she had offered, in front of the owner of the shop, a nice, elegant lady past her fifties.

Leticia had nodded enthusiastically, and Mary had added: “But let me pay for everything, okay? So you can save your money for something else.”

Leticia had thought about it for a while, but thankfully the lady had engaged her in conversation.

“You really have a nice Mommy, sweetie.”

“She’s not my Mommy,” Leticia had giggled. “She’s my Mommy’s girlfriend. Mary, can you give me your phone, please? I wanna show the lady a picture of us!”

Of course, Mary couldn’t resist Leticia’s eyes. She had given her her phone, and Letty had shown the lady Mary’s lock screen, a picture of the three of them on Thanksgiving, curled in front of the fireplace, Mary’s head on Zelda’s shoulder, Leticia tucked between them.

“You make such a lovely family,” the lady had commented. “Are those for your Mommy?”  
“Yes! Today it’s her birthday!”

Of course, the owner of the shop couldn't resist Leticia's charm, and she had put extra care in wrapping up the gift, discounting it as well of a few dollars.

Right now, they were in front of the mortuary, and Leticia gets off the car.  
“Mary?”

“Uhm?”

“Can I come up?”

“Of course, sweet pea,” Mary smiles, gathering the little girl in her arms. Leticia hugs her and rests her head on Mary’s shoulder.

“Are you tired, my darling?”  
“A little. And I wanna see Mommy.”

“I do, as well,” Mary smiles, and rings the bell.

The one opening the door is Sabrina, with a cute black dress, her Mary Janes, and already a glass of champagne in her hand. “Hey, you guys!” she smiles. “We were waiting for you!”

“Hello, Sabrina,” Mary smiles, and tries to put Leticia down, but the little girl clings to her stronger. “No, please.”

“Oh, that’s okay. Let me just put you down for a second so we can take off our coats and then I’ll pick you up again. What do you say?”

Leticia nods and Mary quickly does the task, helped by Sabrina, who hangs coats and scarves to the coat rack.

“Are you okay, LettyBear?” Sabrina asks, pinching her cousin’s cheek lovingly.

Leticia nods strongly but doesn’t make a move to part from Mary’s warm arms.

“Yes. I love Mary. I want to cuddle,” she states, her Mary could swear she feels her eyes wet.

“I have you,” she assures Leticia and kisses her temple. Then, she looks at Sabrina: “Where’s Zelda?”

“In the kitchen,” Sabrina smiles. “She’s making cocktails.”

“Of course,” Mary giggles, and follows Sabrina to the kitchen. There, they find Hilda checking a cake in the oven, Dr. Cee sitting at the table, chatting with both Hilda and Zelda, moving around to get cocktails ready.

“Good evening,” Mary smiles as they step inside the room.

“Hello, Mary. Hi, my love!” exclaims Hilda. “How are you?”

“Good,” Leticia grins, still comfortable in Mary’s arms. “Hi, Uncle Cee.”

“Hi, butterfly!” Lance replies, and he would have asked Leticia to hug him, but Zelda turns toward them: “Leticia, what are you doing up like a toddler?”

“Well, she technically can still be considered –” argues Lance, but Zelda shoots him a dirty glance. She’s changed clothes, Mary considers, embracing her figure with her eyes. She’s wearing a short, red dress with high heels, hair loose on her shoulders, red lipstick. 

“I’m just cuddling, Mommy,” Leticia shrugs, scooting closer into Mary’s arms. “We got you the prettiestest present ever!” she grins as Mary walks across to the kitchen so that Zelda can brush her nose with her daughter’s, before kissing her cheeks, making funny noises on purpose so Leticia could laugh.

“You look pretty, Mommy,” the little girl considers. “Right, Mary?”

“She looks beautiful,” Mary confirms, smiling at Zelda, and the way the two women are looking at each other speaks pretty loud to the other three adults in the room.

“Why don’t you give Mommy a kiss, Mary?” Leticia grins, turning in Mary’s arms to tug at the brown curls.

“As you wish, my lady,” Mary giggles in return, and she turns her face to Zelda, who wraps one arm around Mary’s waist and the other around Leticia, and places a soft, chaste kiss on Mary’s lips. Still in Mary’s arms, Leticia nuzzles her face in Zelda’s shoulder and sighs: “Happy birthday, Mommy. Me and Mary love you lots,” which elicits a chore of _Awww!_ from everyone present. Mary blinks at Zelda and kisses her cheek quickly, confirming: “We do,” with a smile. Leticia giggles and looks at Mary: “Can we give Mommy my present now, Mary?”

“If you want,” Mary nods, and Leticia cries out a happy “Yes!” and fishes a little box and a card in the front pocket of her denim salopettes.

“Happy birthday Mommy!” she laughs again – Zelda has lost count of how many times her little girl has wished her a happy birthday - and presents the box to her mom.

“Why, thank you, my love!” Zelda gasps dramatically. “Mary, since this lady insists on being treated like a toddler, put her on the counter right next to us, so you can at least have a drink.”

Mary looks at Leticia, who nods, and gratefully sits the little girl on the counter. She won’t admit it, because she loves holding her, but Leticia is getting heavy. She accepts the drink Zelda gives her and Sabrina trots to them curiously, peaking at the gift from behind Mary’s shoulder.

Zelda opens the card – it’s drawn by Leticia and has a picture of the two of them in it, from Zelda’s birthday, last year. In Sabrina’s curvy handwriting, there’s written _I love you, Mommy!!! Happy birthday!_ and it’s signed _Leticia Zelda Spellman_ in Letty’s scribbles. Letty is apparently formal in birthday cards as well, Mary thinks, hiding a smile.

“I had Brina write it because I’m not that good, yet,” the little girl explains, and Zelda bends over to pepper her daughter’s face in kisses. “Thank you, baby.”

“Open the present!”

With a loud _clack!_ the box snaps open and reveals the vintage earrings, capturing the light in the room. Zelda gasps: “Leticia! Oh my God!”

“Do you like them?” Leticia asks, doubtfully.

“Of course she does,” Mary whispers in Leticia’s ear.

“Of course I do!” Zelda smiles, getting closer to hug her little girl. “Thank you, my love, they’re magnificent!”

“I chose them and Mary paid for them,” Leticia announces, making Mary and Zelda gasp at the same time, for different reasons.

“Letty! That was our secret!” Mary protests, tickling the little girl’s belly.

“I know, but I’m not ‘posed to lie to Mommy!” Letty giggles.

“Good girl,” Zelda nods. “Mary Wardwell, I precisely asked you _not to._ ”

Mary looks at her, a defiantly look on her face. “All is fair in love and war.”

Zelda gives up and laughs, hugging both Leticia and Mary to her.

Unseen, Sabrina smiles to herself and snaps a picture.

The night goes on in a relaxed, cheering atmosphere.

They eat the great meal Hilda had cooked, and Zelda, sweetly prompted by Mary, has _two_ slices of her favorite chocolate cake, while Hilda looks at her with a proud smile. When Zelda wraps up the second helping of cake, Mary leans over to quickly kiss her cheek and whispers in her ear: “You’re even prettier when you eat,” which leaves Zelda bushing and slightly bothered. Mary, however, is perfectly at ease and engages everyone in conversation, and it’s clear that Zelda is starting to feel even more comfortable with her, sharing smiles, brushing her wrist with her own fingers, rolling her eyes when the brunette steals something from her plate.

After dinner, Zelda stands up to collect the dirty plates, but Mary stops her: “Let me take care of the dishes. It’s your birthday, after all.”

“I’ll help you, Ms. W.,” Sabrina nods, placing her napkin on the table to get up.

Hilda glances at the clock on the wall, then looks at Lance: “We better be going.”

“Where are you going, Auntie Hildie?” Leticia asks, frowning, getting up as well to collect some glasses. Zelda sighs and lights a cigarette.

“We have to open the shop, sweetie.”

Leticia’s frown deepens: “But it’s Mommy’s birthday!” she states.

“It’s fine, Bunny,” Zelda laughs, tugging the little girl close. “I don’t want your Aunt to quit her job because I’m getting older.”

Leticia pushes Zelda away: “Mommy, you smell like smoke, I don’t wanna cuddle when you stink.”

“C’mon!” Zelda grins, reaching out to tickle Letty. “You’re denying some cuddles to your old Mommy on her birthday?!”

Leticia, of course, giggles and squirms under Zelda’s touch. “Mommy, Mommy, lemme go!”

The whole table is laughing, as Hilda and Lance get up and start gathering their things. After they said their goodbye, Zelda announces that she’s going to walk them to their car. As soon as they step into the hall, Zelda grabs Hilda’s sleeve.

“What’s the matter, love?” Hilda asks, watching intently her sister’s pretty face.

“Do you mind if Mary spends the night?”

Hilda laughs and squeezes her shoulder: “I swear, Zelds, love changed you to a point you keep surprising me. Of course I won’t mind, but I think I’ll stay over to Lance's since tomorrow I’m working the morning shift.”

“Okay,” Zelda nods and leans over to hug her sister. “Thank you,” she whispers.

Hilda’s voice is full of tears when she kisses her cheek and pats her back: “You’re welcome sweetheart. Have a nice night.”

After Hilda left and Mary and Sabrina cleaned the kitchen, they move their night on the parlor, where Sabrina and Leticia lay down on the carpet with a puzzle, and Mary and Zelda sit on the couch, holding hands and snuggling under a duvet, indulging in – once in a while – a movie not Disney, not Harry Potter.

It didn’t last long: in half an hour, Leticia yawns and quits playing, moving silently to the couch, where she curls in between her mom and Mary, forcing Zelda to move her head from Mary’s shoulder.

“Well, I’m going to go to bed,” Sabrina announces, stretching her back. “See you tomorrow, Ms. W.?”

“Of course. Sleep well, dear.”

“Wait, I have to… I’ll come with you,” Zelda urges, freeing herself from Letty’s arms, sleeping peacefully. She smiles at Mary: “Be right back.”

“I’ll make some tea if that’s okay?”

Zelda rolls her eyes: “Why are you asking? You know where everything is.”

On a second note, Zelda realizes that she should take Leticia to bed as well, so she lifts her and gestures to Sabrina to follow her. Leticia is so tired that Zelda manages to put on her pjs and tuck her under her covers, putting her Chocolate Frog next to her, without her waking up. She kisses her forehead, murmurs “Sleep tight, Bunny,” and walks out, closing the door behind her back. She walks to Sabrina’s room and knocks softly, finding the girl in her pjs, standing to her open closet, apparently choosing her outfit for the following day. 

“Hey Auntie,” Sabrina grins, taking out of the closet a black short skirt. “Did you need something?”

“No, I just wanted to ask you if it’s okay with you if Mary spends the night.”

The girl blushes slightly but shakes her head: “No, of course not. You know how much I love Ms. W.,” she shrugs. “It was strange, at the beginning, and I couldn’t have imagined the two of you in a relationship, but now I see how perfect you are for each other. She really loves you.”

“Oh, for Hell’s sake,” Zelda groans, wiping at a single tear rolling down her cheek. “You lot are turning me into a wobbling mess!” she complains, but steps closer and hugs her niece fiercely.

“You know I love you, right?” she asks. “Even if I’m –”

Sabrina moves her face from Zelda’s shoulder to look at her, her brown, sweet eyes filled with tears as well: “How could I not?” she grins. “You gave me a family. You gave me everything,” she shrugs, before launching herself in Zelda’s arms again.

The girls tucked in peacefully, Zelda goes back downstairs, more than ready to move to the following part of the night.

When she enters the kitchen, Mary’s back is to her, the brunette looking at the tea, infusing in the mugs. She doesn’t even turn to Zelda, she just whispers: “I love this kitchen. Especially at night. It’s so relaxing – I can totally see myself making tea for you, while you tuck Leticia in.”

Zelda wraps her arms around her waist, resting her head in the crease between her scapulae.

“Exactly what you’re doing,” she sighs.

Mary takes one of the mugs and turns around in Zelda’s arms. “Here, it’s hot.” She immediately notices Zelda’s eyes: “Have you cried, sweetie?”

“Ah, no,” she groans. “It’s just you and this family, making me emotional. I swear I barely recognize myself.”

Mary smiles but doesn’t reply. They just stay there, drinking their tea, looking at each other.

“I never knew being in a relationship with someone could be like this,” Zelda whispers at some point.

“Was it like this? With… With Adam?”

Mary shrugs. “You know, when you wake up one morning and find the bed empty, no explanation, _nothing,_ until you get an email… it can erase every positive memory you may have. Ruin the whole picture forever.”

Zelda looks at her and asks: “Looking back… What do you think was the reason?”

“Of what he did? I asked this myself for months. For _years._ You know, the thing about abandons is pretty simple: we think it’s our fault. You think it’s your fault, something you did, something you _didn’t_ do. But it’s never like this. Our relationship worked. Well, now that…” her voice softens, as she takes Zelda’s hand. “Now that I have something to compare it to, I know that wasn’t the great love that I thought it was. Otherwise, it worked. Maybe he just didn’t love me enough, you know?”

Zelda just nods. She raises Mary’s hand to her mouth and kisses it, still looking into her eyes.

“I’m sorry this happened to you,” she just says, and somehow, it’s enough. She leans over and kisses Zelda on the lips, caressing her cheek sweetly.

She breaks the kiss after a while, and kisses Zelda’s cheek: “It’s getting late,” she sighs. “I should head home.”

Zelda laughs, bringing her closer to her. “If you think I’m letting you go home, you’re a fool,” she grins, kissing her again.

“But –” Mary tries, and Zelda just looks at her: “But _what_?”

She kisses her again, and this time it's not a slow, comforting contact. It’s the explosion of the passion they feel for each other, it’s the love growing bolder and stronger between them, it’s the nights alone, wishing to have the other in bed. Zelda’s hand finds its way to cup Mary’s thigh, under the skirt she’s wearing.

“My God,” Mary breathes, cupping Zelda’s head as the redhead sucks on her neck.

“Let’s go upstairs,” Zelda grins, letting the hand on Mary’s thigh drop. “Leticia is sleeping, we can hopefully have the bed all to ourselves.”

“Zelda…” Mary starts, biting down on her own lip. “She’s in the other room. And Sabrina…”

“So?” Zelda shrugs, pulling her out of the kitchen. “Parents have sex with children in the house all the time. Besides, if they wake up and need something, they knock at the door or simply shout from their rooms.”

They stumble up the stairs, giggling and trying to be quiet. The first floor is silent, both girls probably already sleeping. Zelda pushes Mary inside her room and immediately has her pinned against the wall next to the door, kissing and biting at her neck and she quickly unzips her pencil skirt. The material falls around Mary’s ankles, and Zelda hooks her hand on the strip of Mary’s silk thong and pulls, tearing apart the thing.

“Zelda!” Mary gasps, and Zelda just smirks and takes a step back to take off her shirt. The brunette copies her, discarding her sweater. They look at each other, panting slightly, smiling.

Zelda moves close again, resuming in kissing her girlfriend, slow and sweet, along her jawline, reaching behind her back to unhook her bra.

“Careful with that,” Mary instructs, kissing behind Zelda’s ear. “It’s expensive.”

“Don’t worry,” Zelda blows on her neck, unhooking the item and playfully throwing it across the room. “I can be gentle.”

Mary laughs softly and takes Zelda’s face in her hands, kissing her smiling mouth. “I know you can.”

Eyes closed, lost in each other's arms, they clumsily reach the bed and fall on it, Mary completely naked, Zelda in her underwear.

“Raise your hips,” Mary tells her, pulling at her panties. “I need to take those off.”

“No, you don’t,” Zelda grins, freeing herself from Mary’s arms and rolling on her belly. She grabs Mary’s hips and kissed her flat tummy a couple of times before pushing herself up to align their mouths and their breasts.

The playfulness of the moment before gone, she looks deeply into Mary’s eyes and rests her forearms on both sides of the brunette’s head, careful not to step on chocolate locks.

“My love,” Zelda murmurs, kissing her lips softly, over and over. “My sweetheart.”

She pushes her thigh between Mary’s, to separate her legs. Their kisses start getting more heated, they intertwine their legs, Mary’s around Zelda’s hips. Their clits unintentionally brush against each other, and Zelda moans softly. They start moving against one another, every sensible part brushing against their perfect matches, tongue stroking together.

“Enough friction?” Zelda asks in between kisses. She is a passionate lover – Mary knows this, she has known since forever. And yet, today this passion is mixed with a gentle sweetness and it’s exactly the kind of sex Mary is craving. It’s the kind of _closeness_ Mary desires.

“Yes,” she breaths, biting Zelda’s mouth as the redhead smiles. “It feels so good. I love you,” she says because, at this moment, she can’t hold back. They’re moving against each other, and Zelda nods furiously, kissing her with abandon.

They come against each other and Zelda falls against Mary, sighing softly.

“This was –”

“I know,” Mary nods, kissing random parts of the redhead’s face. “I missed you so much, my love,” she exhales on Zelda’s mouth. “Making love with you is always perfect.”

Zelda grins and reciprocates, one kiss turning into two, into ten, into one hundred. Mary reaches behind Zelda to unhook her bra, throw away the item, and cupping Zelda’s vanilla breasts.

Zelda moaned against her mouth and lose herself in bliss.

The first lovemaking round – soft, supple, mouth-on-mouth, breasts-on-breasts, is, precisely, just the first. It goes on with Mary riding Zelda’s face, with Mary fucking Zelda on all fours at the point that she had to put her hand on Zelda’s mouth to stop her loud moaning from waking up Sabrina and Leticia. They roll off each other at four in the morning, falling asleep in each other’s arms, in pure bliss.

It feels like she’s been asleep for ten minutes, when she feels a pair of damp lips kiss a path on her belly, a warm hand toying with the chain resting in between her breasts.

The lips continue their journey, moving from Mary’s belly to her pelvis.

“Zelda,” she groans softly.

Grinning at completely ignoring her girlfriend's complaint, Zelda licks Mary’s clit a couple of times.

“You taste even better in the morning,” Zelda moans. “And I love doing this to you.”

She’s not saying she loves _her_ , but that word, while so close to her cunt, causes Mary to lose her religion. Her thighs fall open, and she enjoys Zelda’s mouth, sucking her clit greedily, while she fucks her with two fingers with one hand and plays with her breasts with the other.

Mary comes wrapping her legs around Zelda.

“Good morning,” the redhead giggles, moving up to kiss her on her lips.

“Good morning, sweetheart,” Mary sighs, bringing her close. “You look so beautiful in the morning.”

Zelda lays with her face against the scented skin of Mary’s back, and they enjoy each other for a while, in silence, the sound of the rain against the window lulling them to sleep once again.

Despite that, they sleep just barely two hours. When she sits on the bed, trying to gather her strength to go to school, she turns over to tell Zelda something (the redhead still laying on her bed, stark naked) but she just gulps: “Zelda!”

“Mmh?”

“Sweetheart, you are covered in hickeys!”

Zelda just grins: “You think you’re in a better state? Go take a look at the mirror.”

Mary walks to Zelda’s vanity and her eyes widen: “Zelda,” she groans. “I need to go to work and look at me! At least I devoured just your chest – look at my neck!”

“Oh, don’t complain,” Zelda dismisses her, opening her closet and starting to roam through blouses, skirts, and dresses. “You can’t go to work wearing what you had on yesterday, and your panties are ruined.”

“I hate you,” Mary sighs, grimacing. “Do you have red lipstick, at least?”

“Of course I have red lipstick, who do you think you’re talking to,” Zelda spats. Then, she looks at Mary and grins: “And you don’t hate me, you love me.”

The problem is they have two completely different figures: Mary has bigger breasts, while Zelda’s are small and perky, but Zelda’s ass and hips are definitely wider. After ten minutes of searching – there was no way under Heaven you would look like a hobo after getting dressed in Zelda Spellman’s house – she sets on an indigo, high collared blue dress, which is fitted on Zelda, and would look a little looser on Mary, but stylishly.

“Here,” she says, handing her girlfriend the dress, a pair of panties, and a leopard print cardigan.

“Zelda, no, no leopard,” Mary stats. “I love how it looks on you, but… don’t you have something else?”

Zelda groans loudly and opens the closet once again to change the leopard-print cardigan with a creamy jacket.

“In the bathroom, in the top drawer, there’s a yellow toothbrush. I got it for you, in case… well, in cases like this one.”

Mary grins and gets close, to take Zelda in her arms and kiss her lips a thousand times.

“You are something else, Zelda Spellman,” she grins. “And I feel so grateful to get to be with you, to get to love you.”

Zelda gently pinches her cheek, her eyes filling with tears.

“Oh, sweetie!” Mary cooed, kissing her lips. “Don’t cry!”  
“Who’s crying?” Zelda barks, wiping her eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous, Mary Wardwell. Go get ready, I have two girls to get ready for school!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year, guys <3


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the last day before Winter Break, at Baxter High.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short, Mary-centric chapter before the Christmas blast.
> 
> Two things:  
> 1) don't worry about Lyla. She's pushing Mary's buttons but you know I won't let anything bad happen to her and Zelda :D  
> 2) I have the feeling this story went on too long and people are starting to lose interest in it. I would love honest feedback about this so tell me what you think in the comments.

Under the Kingdome of Principal Wardwell, Baxter High the last week before Christmas looks like Santa Claus had thrown up in it. Or, at least, this is what Mary hears through the grapevines. Honestly, she doesn’t care: she loves Christmas, she bathes in the atmosphere, and this year, more than ever. This year, she’ll celebrate with Zelda and Leticia. This year, she has a girlfriend – someone who’s sexy and beautiful, kind and funny and exceptionally smart – and she’ll have plenty of people. Hilda, Sabrina, of course, Leticia. Thinking about Leticia is enough to have her heart swell. And she was going to meet Ambrose, and considering how enthusiastically everybody speaks of the guy, she was really curious about meeting him. Of course, after having feedback if the gift she purchased him would do.

She’s having a blast with the Christmas decorations, and when she walks into her school, she relaxes in the bright atmosphere. Even that morning, even if she practically drags herself to her office. She’s dead on her feet, pale as a corpse, blood-shot eyes, nervously checking every minute if the collar of her dress isn’t exposing the bite marks and the hickeys on her neck. She allows herself a moment to sigh, recalling her night with Zelda. But of course, now’s time to focus on what's needed for Christmas, and that includes speaking with Sabrina. That morning, the teenager had walked to school with Harvey, refusing Mary’s offer to drive her, and had left when Mary was still in the kitchen, eating eggs with Leticia sitting on her lap (and, of course, Zelda sulking about her little girl acting like a toddler). Of course, she can’t talk with Zelda. She tried approaching the subject, the night before, but the redhead had looked at her sternly: “You don’t need to buy gifts. You can get something small for Leticia and that will be all. Am I clear?”

Of course, there was no way under Heaven she was going to buy Leticia _something small_ for their first Christmas together, let alone not buying anything for the others. Zelda included. It doesn’t matter what kind of idea Zelda has about holidays and celebrations, that was absurd. Hence the need to speak with Sabrina (of course, she would just try to guess what to get for the girl herself).

She wonders for a second why it mattered that much, finding the right present, or merely obsessing with presents this way. She can’t help it: the Spellmans had accepted her since the first moment. Heck, she probably felt accepted by Sabrina – and Hilda - when she was just Sabrina’s teacher. And Zelda… Zelda’s name was what she heard in the dark after she’s slipped into bed, turning the lights off.

At recess, nothing is changed: she still looks like a zombie. Every single person she had met that morning had told her that. And, of course, she had spent her time in-between those meetings sighing softly, recalling the way Zelda hums in her sleep, the texture of her thighs under her mouth, the scent of her hair scattered on the pillow. _Thank God it's the last day before Winter Break_ , she sighs, and even if this means extra work, it means she’ll have time to rest, then. She briefly considers seeing Zelda that night.

She sighs and gets up, walking her way to her usual vending machine, in serious need of some caffeine and something that would make her mind stop replaying Zelda eating her out to oblivion. Sabrina. Yes, she needs to focus. She selects a double espresso, looking around and trying to spot that blonde head, but instead, she sees Lyla walking to her, hair up in a ponytail and a big smile on her face. The woman’s face was, despite everything, a friendly one, and she smiles unconsciously.

“Mary!” she exclaims, walking to her, and squeezing her shoulder in a greeting gesture.

“Hey Lyla,” Mary nods. “Coffee?”

“Yes, please. Are you okay?” she asks, concern clear in her voice as she gently brushes her hand. “You’re a bit pale.”

“Yes,” Mary nodded. “I just read until late and now I’m a bit tired.”

Lyla goes on telling her all about the book she’s spent the previous afternoon reading, then she asks: “And you? Anything fun you did yesterday, after your lunch with Zelda?”

“Yes,” Mary grins, pulling her phone out of the pocket of Zelda’s jacket. “I took Leticia shopping.” She unlocks her phone, careful to not show Lyla her lock screen, then opened up her Photo App and showed her a picture of Leticia in a coffee shop, grinning widely in front of a cup of hot chocolate, mouth stained with chocolate.

“Look at her!” she gushes, then moves to another picture, this time framing Leticia smirking in front of the window of a shop. “She’s just adorable,” she comments. “And she loves shopping.”  
“She’s such a cute little girl,” Lyla sincerely nods. “And so well behaved, from what I saw.”

“Oh, yes!” Mary enthusiastically confirms. “Zelda barely has to scold her. She’s so good! Look how proud she was with her Mama’s gift,” she giggles and swipes to another picture. She was pretty sure it was a picture of Leticia holding proudly out the earrings' box, but she clearly doesn’t remember correctly. The next one is a picture of the three of them: Leticia is grinning, both arms on Zelda and Mary’s shoulders, hugging the both of them to her tightly as the two women kissed her cheeks.

“This is adorable,” Lyla grins.

“Yes, that wasn’t the picture I wanted to show you.” She swipes to another one, but there’s just a picture of Zelda, alone, sitting on an armchair, glass of margarita in her hand, smiling as she looked away from the camera lens.

“Oh, not this one,” Mary shrugs. “I drove Letty home and we had a drink together since it was Zelda’s birthday.”

 _After having lunch alone together._ Probably too much for being just friends, right? If Lyla is thinking it – and she probably is – she doesn’t say anything. Instead, she comments: “You have such a strong relationship with Leticia! It should be nice having a child loving you so unconditionally.”

“She’s a great kid,” Mary nodded. “Smart and sweet. And her mother is my friend, so…”

Lyla makes a humming sound in agreement, then she softly gasps and raises her hand, moving Mary’s hair away from her shoulder, exposing her neck. Before Mary can comment in any way, two delicate, warm fingers trace something on her neck.

“Is this a hickey?” Lyla asks, fingers not moving from Mary’s skin.

_Oh, God._

“Oh, no!” she laughs, and her own laugh sounds weird even to her own ears. “No, dear, what nonsense. That’s just a mosquito bite I scratched too hard, and I bled.”

“It’s purple,” Lyla notices, making a face. “And it has teeth marks.”

Finally, Mary gathers the courage to slightly move from Lyla’s touch, readjusting the collar of her dress.

“Nonsense,” she repeats, patting her messy bun and adjusting her glasses. “Mosquitos don’t have teeth.”

“I know they don’t,” Lyla says. She’s not convinced, Mary can see it. And of course, she adds: “You seem different, this morning.”

“How?”

“Your clothes –”

“Ms. Wardwell?” a voice asks, and Mary turns abruptly. Sabrina. Thank God.

“Sabrina, dear, hello,” she smiles.

“Hi! Sorry, Ms. Novacek, but – I just wanted to say hi.”

Lyla nods, and Mary, thankful for the interruption, puts a gentle hand on the teen’s shoulder. “Sabrina, dear, I really need to speak with you. Can you come to my office, after recess?”

Sabrina nods: “Sure. Is everything all right?”

“Of course it is, dear. I’ll excuse you with your teacher.”

“Oh, she’s supposed to be in my class, later,” Lyla says. “It’s okay, of course.”

Sabrina leaves and Lyla smiles at Mary: “So, I was wondering…”

“Yes?”

“I read there’s this nice Nativity Scenes exhibition, in Riverdale…” she starts.

 _Oh God again_ , Mary thinks and tries her best not to groan.

“I thought it would be nice to go see it and… walk around a bit. You know, do some sightseeing, have a drink. What do you say?”

Mary definitely wants to groan again. What a messy situation. She wants to say yes, she does. The idea sounds great, a stroll, the Christmas lights, a drink. Of course, Native Scenes aren’t exactly what she would have chosen for herself, but she’s a curious person, so that would work as well. And despite all, she likes Lyla. She’s sweet, kind, nice to talk to, easy on the eyes. It would be nice, to have a friend. She’s not used to friendship, but between Lyla and Hilda, she could have someone else, besides Zelda. Friends, a great job, a healthy love life. Leticia. Zelda's family. A normal life. And speaking of the plan... People do with friends what they don't do with their partners. Well, she couldn’t exactly ask Zelda to a _Native Scenes exhibition_ , couldn’t she? On the other hand, she doesn’t want Zelda to have a reason to be jealous of Lyla again. But it was just a drink, and Lyla was looking at her with such pleading eyes…

“Okay,” she nods. “That works for me. When would this be?”

“January 3rd,” Lyla nods, and the smile on her face is the brightest Mary has ever seen. She smiles back: “Okay. Well, I’ll see you the 3rd, then. For now, fly safely to Chicago, and Happy Holidays. And send Sabrina to see me, please.”

Of course, Lyla hugs her, throwing her arms around her neck and squeezing her tightly. Mary feels slightly uncomfortable – she’s a rather touchy person, okay, but such PDA in the school’s hall… - so she quickly pats her back and breaks the hug. “I have to go,” she nods.

_Zelda won’t like this one bit._

Sabrina is a punctual person, exactly like her aunts, and a couple of minutes after recess is over, Mrs. Meeks calls her intercom to tell her Sabrina Spellman is there to see her. She’s finishing writing down a report, so when Sabrina enters, she gestures for her to take a seat. When she’s done, she smiles at the girl, noticing immediately that something is off.

“Everything okay?” she asks, taking off her glasses and sighing. She’s already dead on her feet.

“I—” Sabrina starts, but stops immediately. “I don’t know how to say this to you, Ms.Wardwell.”

“Is it a… personal matter?” Mary guesses, and Sabrina nods sharply. “I— I don’t want to be disrespectful.”

“You’re not,” Mary frowns. “But you’re worrying me, so get it off your chest.”

“I saw you hugging Miss Novacek,” Sabrina sighs. “And I don’t like the way she speaks to you. I’m sorry, I swear it feels weird to be saying this to you.”

Mary gasps: “Sabrina, I wasn’t hugging her, she hugged me to say goodbye. For Winter Break.”

This feels strangely similar to the conversation she had with Leticia at the end of November and she doesn’t like this. She genuinely likes Lyla, and they’re probably going to be friends, and if she has to be honest, she’s not convinced that they’re right and Lyla is _hitting_ on her. She’s much younger than herself, and she’s alone in a new city. It could be the normal behavior for someone seeking a friendship.

“She… she looks at you in a way that I don’t trust,” Sabrina says, and Mary has never seen her so serious. “I’m sorry if this is not my place and you know how much I like and admire you, Ms. Wardwell. But you know what Zelda means to me. She raised me. She and Aunt Hilda. She’s strong and she has the worst temper, but she’s a good person. And I see how much she cares about you; I’ve never seen her this happy.”

“Sabrina,” Mary says, strength in her voice, as she reaches out to take the girl’s hand. “I could never do anything like this to Zelda. Never. Do you understand? I love your aunt and I love Leticia. I care deeply about all of you.”

Sabrina nods and retrieves her hand. “I believe you.”

“I would never let anything, or anyone jeopardizes what Zelda and I have. I promise you.”

Sabrina nods again. “Okay. Again, sorry if I overstepped. What do you want to talk about?”

“Christmas,” Mary grins. “I need someone to tell me if what I got everyone works.”

“Sure,” Sabrina smiles. “I mean, okay, but why didn’t you ask Auntie Zee?”

“Because she told me that I wasn’t supposed to get you anything and that I’m always spoiling Leticia. And she said this with the tone she uses when she won’t allow any reply.”

Sabrina sighs: “I know that tone really well. It’s the same she used last week when I asked her if we could move my curfew one hour later.”

Mary can’t help but laugh: “I can imagine that. Anyway, what do you think of a Starbucks Gift Card for Ambrose? I don’t know him, but I thought it was a nice idea.”

“It is,” Sabrina nods with conviction, smiling widely. “He loves Starbucks, always get one before classes. This is so nice of you, Ms. Wardwell!”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Mary blushes. “Bath bombs gift set for Hilda? What do you say?”

“Perfect,” Sabrina grins. “She loves to read in the bathtub!”

“I’m still in the woods about Dr. Cee.”

“Wine?” Sabrina suggests. “He loves white wine.”

“Thank you, Sabrina,” Mary grins widely. “I’ll promise I’ll try to keep you safe when Zelda will seek revenge.”

Sabrina laughs loudly and Mary calls Mrs. Meeks on the intercom asking her if she could get them some tea.

“This is extremely unprofessional,” Mary nods. “But let’s play hooky for a few more minutes if you promise not to tell Zelda anything about this.”

“I won’t,” Sabrina grins. And with that grin, they find again that connection they’ve always felt.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary teaches Leticia something about love, and Zelda realizes something BIG.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FIRST OF ALL: THANK YOU SO MUCH for the amazing reviews in the previous chapter! I'm really late in replying but hey, that reaction to every chapter and I'd die a happy girl (let me dream... after all, tomorrow I'm going back to school so I need something sweet to keep me going):
> 
> Coming to this: at first, I wanted to put all the Christmas shit into one chapter, but then this stood to me as a chapter per se, not related to the other one (where we'll have sex - maybe - and fluff and we'll open the tons of gifts Mary bought.)  
> My friend, anyway, threatened me: she made me lasagna and she's not gonna feed it to me tomorrow if this is crap.  
> So, what do you say? Should I get lasagna or not? ;)

Mary Wardwell parks her car in front of the Spellman Sisters' Mortuary and takes a deep breath. It’s Christmas Eve, and a soft, white coat is already covering the little cemetery right next to the house. Mary almost laughs: her girlfriend runs a mortuary. And a cemetery. She always finds it funny, except tonight she’s sure she’s not going to witness Christmas Day. Zelda will kill her before dinner time. She has to tell her that she has a show date with a colleague Zelda despises, and she hadn’t exactly respected the gifts’ guideline Zelda had given her. She was supposed to buy _just something small_ for Leticia, no presents for the others and instead, she has so much stuff to carry inside, she is forced to hug herself in her coat and run to the door to ask someone – hopefully not Zelda – for help. As soon as she rings the bell, she hears Leticia shouts: “Mommy, Mommy! It’s Mary!”

“Go ahead, Bunny, my hands are dirty!”

Ok, that gives her from ten to fifteen more minutes of life. Good. Leticia opens the door, wearing a Rudolph the Reindeer sweater with jeans, hair in two braids with red ribbons.

“Mary!!!” the little girl exclaims and opens her arms.

“Hello, sweet pea,” Mary grins, kneeling to hug her. “Can you call someone to help me? I have some things I need to carry inside.

“Sure!” Leticia turns toward the words and shouts: “’Brose! ‘Brose!!! Can you come to help Mary bring stuff inside please?!”

Mary laughs loudly, and she can already hear Zelda complain: “How many _things_ exactly?” when a well-built, tall, black guy shows up. He’s wearing the same sweater Leticia is and smiling in a welcoming way.

“Hello,” he greets.

“Hello!” Mary smiles, stretching out a gloved hand: “You must be Ambrose.”

“And you must be Auntie Zee’s beau. We never thought this day would come.”

Mary giggles softly, and again, from inside Zelda shouts: “Honestly, Ambrose Spellman!”

“How can I help you?”

“I have…” Mary lowers her voice: “Two pies, two bottles, and like three bags to carry inside, plus my overnight bag.”

“Of course,” Ambrose smiles, and they quickly make their way to Mary’s car and split what they need to carry inside.

“You can put your gifts in the parlor if you want, so Leticia won’t see them. We’ll move them under the tree later!” Ambrose suggests softly, so Leticia won’t hear, but the little girl runs to them quickly and gasps loudly: “Mary! How many presents!!! But – why they’re already here? Isn’t Santa supposed to leave them tonight?”

She grimaces: she’s dead. Twice. “Well, Santa was a little busy so he…” _Crap._ “So he visited us first because you’ve been super good this year! And I have more because I helped him a bit.”

She just hears a groaning “Mary Elizabeth Wardwell, what did I tell you?” but, thank God, Leticia grins, believing the explanation, and Sabrina appears (jeans and the Rudolph sweater, clearly,) and hugs her. “Ms. Wardwell!! Happy Christmas Eve!”

Mary embraces the girl: “Happy Christmas Eve, Sabrina.”

Thankfully, she doesn’t comment on the gifts, but it’s just a matter of time when she sneaks into the parlor and divides her boxes into the relevant stacks: an envelope for Ambrose, a box for Sabrina, a box for Dr. Cee, a bag for Hilda, four packages for Zelda and… _eight_ for Leticia.

“Oh my God!” the little girl squeals. She’s at the door, Mary hadn’t realized she was following her.  
“Is that _all for me_?”

“Yes, sweet pea! Because you’ve been super good this year But don’t tell Mommy or she’ll kill me –”

“Mary Elizabeth!” Zelda’s voice barks. “What did you do?”

“I’m dead,” Mary whines softly. Zelda is behind her: she’s wearing jeans (she rarely wears them but Mary loves how they hug her supple thighs and ass), a green silk blouse and high heels, hair down her shoulders, and she’s smoking with her holder, like every time she’s seen her smoking since she first met her.

“Hi, my love!” she tries, walking quickly next to her and trying to kiss her on the lips, but Zelda snorts and turns her head: “Not funny. I told you one! For Leticia! _Just one!_ ”

“She bullies the girlfriend too,” Ambrose whispers to Sabrina in the hall, of course not as low as he must have thought. Another “Ambrose Spellman!” is spat, but Leticia protests: “Mommy, it’s Christmas!” hugging Mary’s middle. “Sant delivered presents early ‘cause I’ve been super good and if you’re mean he’d take them back! Don’t be mean at my Mary!!!”

Zelda is about to throw a tantrum about Leticia being in the parlor (where all the gifts are. Up to last year she’s been easily foolish, but now, the girl is just too smart) when she gasps from the possessive adjective. Both Zelda and Mary know Leticia loves Mary. They really do. But hear the little girl call Mary _hers_ is enough to make Zelda’s bottom lip tremble and Mary’s eyes fill with tears.

Zelda giggles and Mary is expecting any kind of reply, but not what Zelda actually says: “Hey! She’s _mine_!”

Leticia’s saving the situation once again, and Mary can relax as mother and daughter giggle and fight, trying to decide which one gets to _have_ Mary, under the shocked glances of Ambrose, Sabrina, and Mary herself. After a couple of minutes, Hilda and Dr. Cee appear in the parlor.

They exchange kisses and hugs as Lance asks Ambrose: “What did we miss?”

“Where’s Auntie Zee? What have you done with her?” Ambrose stats, eyes two pools.

They all laugh, the implication clear enough, except for Zelda groaning once again “Honestly, Ambrose,” as Leticia tugs on her arm and asks: “What does it mean, Mommy?”

“They think I’ve changed, since I’ve started dating Mary,” Zelda explains to her, picking her up in her arms. “Let’s go set the table.”

“It’s true,” Leticia nods, a wise air on her freckled little face. “’Brose is right.”

“Perfect,” Zelda groaned softly as Mary steps closer to press a quick kiss to Zelda’s temple. The redhead puts the little girl down as they start to gather cutleries and glasses. The kitchen is full of everything Hilda cooked, and like during every celebration at the Spellman house, Zelda starts making drinks for everyone.

Hilda put on some Christmas music while she and Lance take care of the last mail details. Leticia, definitely over the moon to have her cousins with her again, demands constant attention while they sing and dance around, settling the table.

Mary steps next to Zelda and wraps her arms around her waist, sighing as she rests her chin on the redhead's shoulder while the redhead starts dosing gin in the glasses. Zelda stops her movement.

“Sweetie?”

“Mmh?” Mary hums, nuzzling her face in the scented skin of Zelda’s neck.

“If you act like a koala bear, I won’t be able to do this.”

“I’m sorry,” Mary nods, but she doesn’t move, she just presses a kiss on Zelda’s neck.

“Mary, what—"

“I need to tell you something.”

“Holy Hell,” Zelda sighs, placing both hands on the counter. “What do you need to tell me?”

“Don’t panic,” Mary whispers, making no attempt to move.

“Okay, let me finish this and we can talk while I smoke.”

Mary moves and Zelda quickly tries to finish the task at hand, even if clumsily so: ice slips from her fingers, she almost knocks down a bottle of juice.

“Okay, let’s go,” she says, grabbing the cigarettes and Mary’s wrist and announcing: “Cigarette break!”

They settle on the porch. Mary curls in one of the armchairs, draping a blanket around herself, while Zelda stood nervously against the banister, tapping her foot on the ground as she puffs at her cigarette.  
“So?”

“Love, there’s no need to be so anxious. It’s just something I wanted you to know. I don’t want us to have secrets.”

Zelda’s eyes widen: “Why should we? I haven’t – I mean, you changed the way I look at relationships, you know this. I wouldn’t dream of keeping secrets from you.”

The meaning behind Zelda’s words is clear, and yet, once again, Mary wishes for what she really wants for Christmas: hearing Zelda telling her _I love you._ Probably, what she’s about to confess will wash away every possibility.

“Do you remember when Lyla asked me to go do some sightseeing together?”

“How could I forget,” Zelda replies, drily. “Has she set a date?”

“Well,” Mary starts, tucking a lock of chocolate hair behind her ear. “She suggested a Nativity Scenes show in Riverdale and some drinks. On January 3rd.”

Zelda didn’t say anything. She just finishes her cigarette, then she says: “Let me get this straight: my girlfriend is going on a date with a young, pretty girl. Nice.”

“No,” Mary sweetly corrects: “Your girlfriend is going out with a colleague. Possibly a friend.”

“She’s not your friend,” Zelda says sternly, lightening another cigarette.

“Zelda, another one?” Mary complains, but the gaze the redheads shoots her is enough.

“She’s not your friend,” Zelda repeats. “She’s hitting on you. She hit on you repeatedly. And you didn’t even think about letting her know that you’re in a relationship, and yet, you swear you love me.”

“Zelda!” Mary gasps. “She doesn’t know because of Sabrina, you know this. And of course I love you, I’ve told you, more than once!”

 _Even if you still need to say it back,_ she thinks, but she bites her lips and decides against saying it loudly.

“You love me and yet you go out with another girl?”

“I love you and I go out with a friend because I know that I can afford an afternoon out with a colleague because you’re the only person I’ll come home to.”

Zelda sighs and throws away the second cigarette, her hand trembling. When she speaks again, anyway, her voice is strong and steady: “Besides, you’re missing the point, here: she hit on you at Thanksgiving. _In front of me_! I had to sit there while eating, watching another girl flirt with my partner.”

Mary doesn’t reply, she stays silent just a couple of seconds, and that’s all Zelda needs to add: “Try to walk in my shoes for a second, here.”

Mary gulps. She doesn’t even want to think about it.

“It happened, right?” she replies. She doesn’t want to sound so on the fence, but she can’t help it. “It happened to me as well. That waitress flirted with you on our third date.”

“And you would compare the two situations?” Zelda spats. “You surely don’t think a random waitress is comparable to someone you work _with_ , someone you see every day, someone who gifted you sensual poems!”

Mary blushes: “How do you know that?”

“Oh, come on!” Zelda barks, now not just annoyed, but definitely angry. “You’re not the only one who knows literature.”

Mary doesn’t reply. This isn’t what she wanted. She stands up and walks to Zelda, wasting no time in taking her in her arms. Zelda is reticent, at first, but Mary places a soft kiss on her lips: “Look at me,” she murmurs, and Zelda does so, clearly still pissed. “Don’t you trust me?”

“What nonsense, Mary, of course I trust you.”

Mary starts stroking her jawline with her finger. “Do you really think that I’d let her do something that could jeopardize what we have?”

Zelda looks at her without replying. Mary kisses her nose and her lips: “And I could never want anyone else. Never. I’m done.” She leans closer and murmurs: “Kiss me, Tough Gal,” but the door opens and Leticia steps outside, her hands on her hips: “Mommy! Mary!” she says in a tone that’s just properly Zelda. “You’ve been away _forever_! And you told you were gonna smoke, Mommy, but you’re just _kissing_!”

The expression on her face is so funny they both burst into laughter, still tucked in each other’s arms.

“We’re coming,” Zelda nods, even if she doesn’t sound so convinced. Leticia shakes her head and goes back inside, and Mary takes Zelda’s face in her cold hands: “Are we okay, love? I don’t want us to argue on our first Christmas together.”

Zelda takes a deep breath and nods: “Okay,” she murmurs. “I just hope I’m not going to regret it. It’s not that I don’t trust you, of course. I don’t want to lose you, and she’s pretty and clearly an easier person than me.”

Mary laughs softly: “Zelds, everyone is easier than you.” She kisses her again: “And yet I didn’t want anyone else since you first stepped to my office.” Another kiss. “Plus, Lyla is not Leticia’s Mommy.”

“Oh, I see why you date me,” Zelda chuckles as they step back inside. “Girlfriend!” she calls, walking into the kitchen.

“That’s supposed to be me,” Mary mumbles, half-complaining. Leticia runs to Zelda: “Yes, Mommy? I wanna eat.”

“In a second. Mary just told me that she’s dating me just because I am your Mommy.”

“Zelda,” Mary groans. “Letty, that’s not true.”

“Well,” Ambrose starts, while the lot sits at the table, Leticia between Zelda and Hilda, Mary next to Zelda. “This would explain a lot.”

“Ambrose!” Hilda gasps, but Mary laughs loudly and even Zelda smiles.

“Anyway, I want to know,” Ambrose smiles at Mary. “How did it happen?”

“It was all thanks to me,” Sabrina smirks. “I failed one text and Ms. Wardwell called the Aunties in.”

“And I was sick, so Hilda was busy,” Lance adds. “So I guess I have some merits as well.”

“No, that’s not true!” Leticia squeals. “Mary wanted to date Mommy because of me! Because you always say I’m the best part of you, right Mommy? And Mary loves me lots!”

“I do love you,” Mary nods, blowing a kiss to Leticia. “But you know why I’ve fallen in love with your mommy, Letty?”

“No!” Letty exclaims, forgetting her pasta, all her attention focused on Mary.

“It’s like when you do a puzzle.”

“I don’t like puzzles,” Leticia grimaces.

“Well, when you put together something Lego?”

“Yes! It was a tragedy with my castle,” she sighs. “’Brina helped me but it was so hard!”

Mary giggles: “And how did it feel when you put together the last pieces and the castle was done?”

“It was good,” Leticia giggles, and Sabrina corrects: “It was freaking amazing! That castle was a pain in the… butt.”

“What do my Mommy have to do with Legos?”

“I was wondering...” Zelda mutters.

“Well, it’s like when you put together the last pieces and they fit together perfectly. Then you take a step back, and you realize it’s done. Complete.”

A moment of silence washes over the table.

“Wow!” Leticia beams and Hilda wipes her eyes.

“Honestly,” Zelda complains (of course), and she kisses Mary’s hair, then she slaps her shoulder. “Cheesy bitch.”

“Mommy!” Leticia gasps.

“I’m joking,” Zelda grins.

“Always like that,” Sabrina grins at Ambrose. “Family meals are surprisingly funny."  
“What do we have to do with your Mommy, Letty?” Mary sighs dramatically, making the little girl giggle.

“I know you told me over the phone,” Ambrose mumbles to Sabrina, paying attention that no one hears them. “But…”

“I know,” the girl nods. “Out of this world, uhm?”

“Yes, and I mean, Auntie Zee loves her.”

“What are you two plotting on the other side of the table?” Zelda asks, shouting them a killing gaze. “Behave!”

“We are behaving, Auntie Zee!” Sabrina complains.

“We’re just catching up,” Ambrose assures, flashing Zelda his best smile.

Thankfully for Zelda, embarrassed beyond words, the conversation moves to different topics: Ambrose’s studies, of course, Dr. Cee’s shop, Mary’s job. Mostly, Mary and Ambrose switch questions, trying to get to know each other better. Zelda watches, a warmth in her belly. It’s perfect – it’s truly the perfect Christmas, she thinks. She looks at her sister, and she’s never seen her so in love. She looks at her beautiful niece and her handsome nephew, and she feels proud of all the work Hilda and she had done.

Leticia climbs on her lap as soon as she’s done with her meal. Zelda is still eating, and she knows she should scold her, tell her to stay in her spot until they’re all done, but she doesn’t. She kisses her daughter and wraps an arm around her, keeping on eating with the free hand. She looks at Mary – she studies her beautiful profile, her smile, how her eyes spark when she laughs at one of Ambrose’s jokes. She looks at the woman she loves and –

_Oh._

She knew she was feeling something different. Hilda had actually said it, she had tip-toed around the concept every time Mary had told her. But it’s the first time she thinks it, as clear as daylight, just so… _spontaneously_. She’s in love with Mary. And if a part of her wants to grab her arm and tell her immediately, the other part of her – the biggest part of her – is scared. What’s going to happen? If she tells her _I love you_ , if for the first time in her life she says those words, she would be done: that’s the last protection she has. Then, she would be completely vulnerable. Can she trust Mary like that? Can she trust Mary with her heart?


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy Kinky Christmas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are! Hope this isn't too porny or too confusing, I actually have some doubt but here we are.  
> Gifts disclaimer: the Play-Doh and two of the three books are courtesy of my friend Kate. Every other Leticia's gift from Mary is Claire's work. (she even went to Disney Store to look for gifts, we need therapy.)  
> Leave me a comment if you have time! <3

Mary closes the door of Zelda’s room quietly behind herself.

It had taken forever to have Leticia calm down enough from her hype to fall asleep, and Zelda had to yell at Sabrina because she was still giggling loudly from her room.

Now, everything is calm and silent and Mary sighs, looking at Zelda, undressing next to her vanity, her back to her girlfriend. Zelda is wearing just her thong and her tank top, and Mary tiptoes to her and sneaks her arms around her waist, bringing her flush against her chest.

Zelda gulps softly but Mary giggles and kisses the juncture between her shoulder and her neck.

“My love,” she whispers, cupping one of her delicious breasts with her hand.

Zelda frees herself from the hug and looks at Mary sternly, reaching for her PJs.

“What’s wrong?” Mary frowns. “I don’t want you to get dressed.”

“I bet you don’t,” she snorts, “But I’m not sure I want to have sex with you, tonight.”

Mary chuckles and wraps her arm around Zelda again, leaning into her but, instead of kissing her, she just bites gently her lips. When Zelda moans, she grins: “And why are you moaning like that?” she smirks.

“Don’t be a smartass,” Zelda scolds, looking at her in the same way she looks at Leticia when she’s trying to be stern. “You know perfectly well why I’m mad at you, Miss Wardwell.”

“I do?” Mary asks, batting her eyelashes at Zelda, her big, blue eyes shining in the dim light of the room.

“You do. And I’m not falling for your impossibly gorgeous blue eyes.”  
“Oh, you won’t?” Mary bites her bottom lip and links her arms around Zelda’s neck, pressing their bodies together, gently brushing their breasts together.

Mary can’t help and moans, and Zelda grins.

“Oh, so, you want to have sex?” she asks, letting a hand squeeze Mary’s breast as it trails down. Zelda lets her hand slide inside Mary’s pants and gently touches her clit through her damp panties. Mary’s head falls back, and she exposes her neck, a sweet moan breaking free from her lips. She can’t help it – she belongs to Zelda. Mind, soul, and body. She gains back enough control to bring Zelda close and kiss her, and Zelda kisses her back, circling her clit with two fingers.

Mary places her forehead on Zelda’s neck, covering her skin with kisses and little bites.

“So, we are having sex, after all,” she moans, trying to push Zelda on the bed.

“Not exactly,” Zelda grins, breaking their hug and walking to her closet. She looks for something, and after a few seconds, she turns to Mary again, carrying a strap on in her hands.

“Come here,” she says to Mary, voice deep and stern, and Mary fears she could come just from the sound of that command. She walks to her girlfriend and pushes her toward a window, facing the nice view of fields, the gentle lights of the city in the distance. Mary can hear the feeble sounds of Zelda fretting around with the strap, and she tries to turn around, but another command comes: “Stay still. Look out of the window. Don’t move.”

She does as Zelda told her, and in a few seconds, Zelda’s hands are on her hips, and she’s pushing her pants and her panties down her legs. Mary quickly takes off her top as well. As soon as she’s naked, Zelda’s hands squeeze her breasts, and she hisses in her ear: “Bend over.”

Mary bends.

Zelda traces her dripping folds with her strap, and asks: “Are you ready, sweet girl?”

Mary isn’t sure if she can speak even if she tries, so she nods furiously. Slowly, holding her hips still, Zelda presses into her.

Mary moans and pushes her hips back, but Zelda holds her still.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Zelda—”

“No,” Zelda hisses and wraps a hand around Mary’s throat. It’s gentle, but it’s there. “I’ll tell you what it’s going to happen. I’m going to fuck you,” and she makes a pause to thrust into Mary’s core hard and fast for a couple of times, eliciting moans and muffled cries from Mary. The hand around Mary’s throat moves up and presses against her mouth, bringing the brunette back against her, still fucking her long and steady.

“I’m going to fuck you until you remember who you belong to.”

Mary moans with abandon against Zelda’s hand as the redhead fucks her like she’s promised, and Zelda adds: “I’m going to fuck you until any thought about pretty young colleagues is erased and you remember that you are mine.”

Mary finds herself pushed forward, biting her own wrist to prevent herself from waking up the whole house, as Zelda holds on to her narrow waist and fucks her. She’s doing it hard and deep, but Zelda’s hand is gentle when she moves her hair from her back and kisses her burning skin repeatedly, murmuring: “You’re mine. I’m not willing to share you with anyone else.”

“I’m yours,” Mary nods. Her walls start contracting around Zelda’s strap and the redhead reaches over and starts playing with her clit, whispering in her ear: “Come for me. You’re mine. Come for me, my love.”

Mary can’t resist her – she comes, hard, all over the strap, crying out against Zelda’s hand.

Zelda kisses her back again, then pulls out and takes her in her arms, guiding them both on the bed.

Immediately, Mary reaches over and wraps her arms around Zelda, bringing their lips together.

Zelda pushes her against the pillow, kissing her as she plays with the ever-present charm hanging between her breasts.

“Was it too much?” she asks against Mary’s lips.

“No,” she breathes, moving locks of red curls away from Zelda’s eyes. “Of course not. It was perfect. You are perfect.” She kisses her quickly and frees herself from the hug.

“Where are you going?”

“To pick up a few things to celebrate our first Christmas,” she grins. “Wait.”

She puts on Zelda’s robe and disappears, but it’s just a matter of time until she comes back, bringing a wrapped box and a bottle of champagne with the glasses.

“This is getting interesting,” Zelda grins, pulling up and sitting, crossing her legs. Mary crawls on her bed and kisses her, before opening the bottle and filling the glasses. 

“To our first Christmas together,” Mary whispers, looking deeply into Zelda’s eyes. Zelda clicks her glass with hers and says softly: “And to everything I want to tell you and I can’t… speaking of which...” Zelda turns to her nightstands and pulls out the first drawer a little black box.

“I wanted to give you this alone,” she explains, and Mary smiles and opens the box.

When she spots what’s inside, she gasps, her hand quickly raising to cover her mouth.

It’s a ring. A beautiful ring made of white gold, with two woven bands.

“It’s not _that_ ,” Zelda giggles. “It’s… it’s an I-feel-for-you-what-you-feel-for-me-but-I-can’t-say-it-so-I-buy-you-things kind of ring.”

Mary burst into laughter and hugs Zelda tightly.

“Do you like it?”

“I love it.” She leans over and places a kiss on her lips. “And I love you, and it doesn’t matter if you can’t say it, okay? I know you do, and that’s okay. I’m here, we have all the time in the world.”

She holds out her left hand and gestures to Zelda to put the ring on.

“Here?” Zelda asks.

“Yes. And if you want, we can talk to Sabrina. I don’t want to hide our relationship anymore.”

Zelda slips the ring at her finger and then kisses her hand.

“Okay,” she sighs. “Now I feel like a decent girlfriend.”

They kiss again, and Mary hugs her. “You’re the best girlfriend,” she murmurs in Zelda’s neck. “Thank you. And I have something for you too,” she grins, reaching for the box and shoving it in Zelda’s lap.

“Can’t I open this tomorrow?” Zelda asks, puzzled.

“No,” Mary giggles, embarrassed. “Open it.”

Zelda obeys, hair falling like a curtain around her face. She’s wearing just her underwear, she’s blushing, and in the dim light of the bedside lamp, she looks not a day older than twenty, without a worry in the world. Mary feels her heart swell in her chest for her. She’s probably known for a while, but now she clearly sees that Zelda is the love of her life. Everything that’s happened, was just leading to her and her amazing little girl, sleeping in the next room curled around her Chocolate Frog.

“You are crazy,” Zelda states, looking deadly into Mary’s eyes, La Perla black lace lingerie in her hands. “This is about 300$ in lingerie! And I told you –”

Mary cuts her off with a kiss. “I got a little bonus with the new job and I wanted to spoil my girl a little. It’s our first Christmas, after all, and you’ll agree that this is really for both of us.”

Zelda rolls her eyes, then can’t help it, and smirks: “I got myself a sugar daddy?”

Mary sucks on her lips, then murmurs: “Put that on and come back here so we can see what _daddy_ can do about it.”

_Daddy_ made Zelda come twice, then they fell asleep in a twist of arms, legs, and scattered clothes they quickly put on because Leticia, on Christmas mornings, forgets every manner she has and bursts into Zelda’s room at God forbidden hours.

Zelda opens her eyes, and the room is full of light. Her head hurt a little and her mouth is dry, but Mary is fast asleep, curled into her side, face hidden against her neck and hand graciously resting on Zelda’s breast, ring on display.

Zelda sighs and wonders what time could be, when her door bursts open and Leticia runs inside: “Mommy, Mary, wake up!”

She climbs on the bed, and Zelda hisses: “Letty, for Hell’s sake, Mary’s sleeping!”

“Zelds?” Mary murmurs, confused, wrapping her arms around Zelda, but when she sees Leticia she smiles widely: “Happy Christmas, sweet pea!”

“Happy Christmas Mary!!!” Letty squeals, hugging the sleepy brunette before climbing on top of her mother and showering her with kisses: “Mommy happy Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas, my love,” Zelda sighs, cuddling the little girl close to her chest. “Do you want to go have some breakfast and open your presents?”

Leticia, surprisingly enough, shakes her head and slips under the covers, between the two of them. “Can we cuddle for a while?”

“Of course,” Zelda murmurs, wrapping her arms around both Leticia and Mary.

They must have dozed off because Zelda is awakened by Sabrina gently knocking at her door.

“Morning, Auntie,” she whispers.

“Morning, sweetheart,” Zelda smiles, and she sits up, definitely waking up Leticia and Mary as well. The two women share a gaze and they both know they’re thinking the same thing.

“Sabrina, dear, can you come here for a second?” Mary asks softly. “Your Aunt and I would love to talk to you about something.”

“But Mommy!” Leticia complains. “Presents!”

“In a minute, baby. Why don’t you go wake up Auntie Hildie and Uncle Cee?”

Leticia shakes her head and scoots on Mary’s laps, wrapping her arms around the brunette’s neck. “Can I stay here, Mommy? I wanna cuddle with my Mary.”

“Still mine, but yes, stay there. Sabrina, sweetie, sit down.”

Sabrina sits on the edge of the bed, waiting, and Zelda starts: “Well, it’s simple, really. Mary and I talked, and we would like to go public with our relationship. You know, at Baxter High, as well.”

“And we wanted to know if you’re okay with that,” Mary adds. “I’m not your teacher anymore and you’re a great student, so I don’t think it’ll become gossip material that much, you know.”

“I don’t mind,” Sabrina shakes her head. “I’m used to it right now and I love having you here, Ms. Wardwell.”

“As I love to be here, dear,” Mary smiles, squeezing Sabrina’s hand.

“It’s okay, really. I just hope that you guys are happy.”

“And we are,” Zelda smiles. “And I should thank you, niece. If you hadn’t failed that test…”

Sabrina giggles and hugs Zelda. “Okay, but now can we go open presents please?”

**

“Leticia, sweetheart, stop it.”

“But Mommy! It’s a tradition! You can’t ruin it!” Leticia protests, sipping her orange juice. “You and Mary need to wear Christmas clothes!”

“Baby, it’s better if we don’t introduce Mary to these kinds of traditions, or she won’t come again next year.”

“Why Mary?” Leticia asks the brunette with pleading eyes. Mary laughs and Zelda sighs: “Leticia, darling, we need to work on your sarcasm, seriously. Besides, Mary doesn’t have Christmas clothes.”  
“But me and ‘Brina got her an onesie like yours!”

“I’m sorry Auntie Zee,” Sabrina says, getting up from the breakfast table where everyone was enjoying the Christmas breakfast. She goes to the other room and comes back with an onesie, Mary’s size.

“Don’t say anything,” Zelda mutters, getting up as well and dragging Mary up as well. “Let’s go put those on so we can open those gifts.”

The gifts affair is something really messy, and in a matter of seconds, the living room is flooded with wrapping paper.

Hilda and Zelda have a system down: Hilda knits stuff and Zelda writes checks, and the nephews are really happy. Leticia as well, considering she’s been taught the importance of money, plus Zelda had given her an Instax Camera. Actually, the little girl is the picture of happiness. She’s unwrapped the Lego Knight Bus from Sabrina and Ambrose as well as a cute Georgetown sweatshirt, the Lego Princess Castle from Hilda, and an adorable coloring tablecloth with Christmas recipes from Cee. It’s Mary’s turn, now, and Zelda is muttering protests as she drinks her coffee, unintelligible words alternating with “unreasonable girlfriend” and “spoiled little brat.” Leticia unwraps, in order: the Lego Bookstore (and Zelda blushes, thinking about their first kiss), three books – _Matilda_ by Roald Dahl and _Coraline_ and _The Graveyard_ _Book_ by Nail Gaiman, and the last one elicits an enthusiastic: “Mommy! It’s a boy who lives in a cemetery! Just like me!” – an Olaf shaped hot bottle, an Ariel Barbie, some Play-Doh – “Mary Wardwell, I’ll kill you with my bare hands!” – and a Harry Potter mug to keep at the cottage for when Leticia goes over there.

“Mary you are the bestest!” Leticia squeals, jumping into the brunette’s arms.

“I’m glad you like everything, sweet pea since your mom will probably kill me in my sleep.”

“I’ll protect you,” the little girl giggles, and Zelda sighs, lightening a cigarette: “At least she recognized the figure of speech, this time. We’re making progress.”

“Relax, Auntie Zee,” Ambrose grins. “I got you the Georgetown shirt Aunt Hilda ruined while doing laundry,” and he passes her a Georgetown gift bag. He gives Mary another one: “And I’ve got one for the Girlfriend as well.”

“Thank you so much,” Mary smiles. “And those are for you and Sabrina.”

“This is amazing, Mary, thank you!” Ambrose smiles, Starbucks gift card in his hand, and Sabrina literally throws herself in her arms: “Oh my God Ms. Wardwell, the bottle green Mary Janes I wanted!”

“She’s spoiling them, Hilda!” Zelda groans, smoking from the couch. “I’ve told her, I definitely told her not to.”

“Zelda, stop complaining,” Hilda grins, while Leticia tugs at Mary’s wrist: “Mary! Open this! Mommy, can we give Mary your gifts too?”

“Wait, which gifts, Zelda Spellman? You gave me my gift last night.”

“I heard noises, in fact…” Ambrose comments and Zelda reaches over to slap his shoulder. “Shut up or you’ll find yourself back at Georgetown in ten minutes.”

Leticia pushes toward Mary two boxes and pouts: “But they’re a few.”

“Don’t worry, sweet pea, you and your Mommy are the best gifts for me,” Mary assures kissing the little girl. “Can you go get that little piles? Those are Mommy’s.”

“Mary Wardwell, I have 300$ lingerie under this effin onesie and _you got me more presents_?!”

“This is the kinkiest Christmas ever,” Ambrose announces, wrapping an arm around Sabrina’s shoulders. “And I’m freaking loving it.”

In the meanwhile, Mary had unwrapped a selection of teas and candles – from Leticia – and a brand-new Kindle.

“Oh, wow Zelda!” she breathes. “I was thinking about getting one myself.”

“It’s full of books,” Sabrina points out. “We did some research, and you should like everything.” Mary kisses Sabrina and Leticia, then sits next to Zelda and kisses her pouting lips. “Thanks, love.”

She gifts Zelda a pair of white leather high heeled boots and wall art which simply said _Once again to Zelda_ , and Zelda, which is much more sensitive about literature than she admits, recognizes Fitzgerald’s dedication to his beloved wife and is about to cry. But then, they have to pay attention to the girls once again, because Leticia gives her Mommy the vintage matching necklace and bracelet they have chosen, and Zelda threatens her girlfriend to death once again. But, in the end, it’s Sabrina’s turn, and she sits next to Mary and hands her a rectangular box.

“Merry Christmas, Ms. Wardwell,” she smiles. “I hope you like this; the color should fit your living room.”

“Sabrina… you shouldn’t have…”

Mary hesitantly unwraps a grey vintage frame with a picture – a picture she has never seen before. It’s from Zelda’s birthday, judging by the dresses. Leticia is sitting on the kitchen counter, cuddling in Mary’s arms, as they look at each other. Leticia has her eyes closed and Mary is pretty much covered by her own hair, but what it’s on total display is Zelda, next to them, touching her little girl’s leg, glass in hand, looking at Mary with clear and utter adoration.

Mary can’t help it, and tears stream down her face as both she and Zelda hugs the teenager close to them.

The day goes by with some board games, and Zelda making drinks as Hilda fixes the last touches to her spectacular Christmas lunch. They eat in a great mood, sharing stories and laughing, and Hilda has never seen her sister so relaxed, and she listens to her family and smiles, cigarette in one hand, the other arm wrapped around Mary’s chair.

After lunch, they gather in the living room to crash on couches and armchairs to watch _Home Alone_ , nobody able to nap as Leticia shouts and comments and laughs and practically bounces in Mary’s lap. When the movie’s over, she drags cousins, Uncle and Aunt to go outside and play in the snow for a while, and after a shouted “Leticia Zelda, behave!”, Mary and Zelda are finally alone.

“Let’s go make ourselves some tea,” Zelda sighs, taking Mary’s hand and guiding her to the kitchen. “Next year we’ll celebrate alone in your cottage,” she announces. “My family is way too loud.”

She puts the kettle on and Mary chuckles: “C’mon, we love them.”

Zelda turns around and puts both arms around her, effectively trapping her between her own body and the kitchen counter. She’s looking at her so intensely Mary felt a thrill down her back.

“Zelda…?”

Zelda’s green eyes are fixed on hers, and she takes the zip between two fingers.

“What do you have on, under this?” she asks, her voice a rasping sound. Slowly, terribly slowly, agonizingly slowly, she starts unzipping her onesie.

“Zelda…” Mary moans softly. “ _Please_.”

A smile ghosts over Zelda’s lips.

“Zelda, I don’t really want to get this thing wet –”  
“I just want to put my mouth on your breasts for a second,” Zelda hisses, but someone at the door of the kitchen clears their throat and Zelda turns back, pretty annoyed.

Ambrose is bright red.

“I was thirsty, but I think I can survive,” he quickly says, while Mary has turned over to face the counter, her red face hidden in her hands. “But Auntie Zee, keep it down. Therapy is expensive.”

When he goes outside again, Zelda groans: “See? I told you. Cottage!”


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Oh, sweetheart. If you thought you won’t pay for the giggles you clearly don’t know me enough."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!!! :)  
> I really had a crappy night (like reeeeally crappy), but I'm actually quite proud of how this turned out, and you know how rarely it happens, so I would really appreciate it if you would find the time to leave me a quick comment and at least tell me if I'm delusional and it sucked.  
> This may be a little shorter than what I normally do but I really thought it was its own chapter.  
> Oh, and the following chapters are going to be EXPLOSIVE!  
> Stay with me <3

The days between Christmas and New Year’s Eve see Zelda and Leticia arguing almost non-stop.

Mary can’t believe her eyes: she has never, in the four months she’s hung around the Spellman, see Leticia and Zelda do anything different from kissing, dancing, calling each other pet names. Now, Zelda is constantly smoking and complaining about Leticia being “a spoiled little brat” and Leticia leaving rooms, screaming things about her Mommy being “completely unreasonable”. What surprises Mary the most, is that even if Leticia is five years old, they argue like they’re both adults.

“Can you believe this?” Zelda asks Mary one night.

They’re at the cottage, finally able to take a night off the madness of the celebrations, and they’re quietly lying on Mary’s couch in their underwear, the brunette silently playing with Zelda’s hair. The fire is gently crackling, the room in dim light, and they’re nursing a cup of tea each. It would look very close to Heaven, in Mary’s opinion, at least, but Zelda is definitely nervous, replaying in detail after detail the last argument she had with her daughter.

“If she’s so impossible at five years old, can you imagine what I’ll go through when she’ll be a teenager? You’ll have to hospitalize me in an asylum or something like this.”

Mary chuckles softly and kisses Zelda’s hair. She likes the thought of being on Zelda’s side ten years from now, watching Leticia grow up, living together. Maybe even upgrade the family from three to four members…

“What are you thinking about?” Zelda asks, moving her head so her lips make contact with Mary’s collarbone and she kisses the soft flesh. She can’t tell Zelda she was imagining having a baby with her, so she shrugs: “I was thinking about Leticia’s request, that’s all.”

Zelda turns abruptly to face her: “You think she should go,” she simply says it, and it’s not a question. “You think that she should go and I’m just a paranoid mother.”

“Oh, darling, relax,” Mary hushes, kissing her forehead. “You are her mother, you have every right to be a little paranoid from time to time, and of course you are the only one who knows what’s best for Letty.”

“Mary Wardwell, there’s a but in there,” Zelda groaned, stretching to roll on top of Mary to place her mug on the coffee table. The brunette seizes the opportunity to wrap her arms around Zelda’s waist to keep her still.

“After all she just wants to go see a show with her best friend…”

“On New Year’s Eve,” Zelda points out.

“We could go with her. Besides, love, you surely realize the New Year's Eve Gala _needs to be_ on New Year's Eve.”

“Her friend’s mom just has one extra ticket and they’re sold out.”

“I understand that she’s very young,” Mary murmurs, caressing Zelda’s shoulders, moving her long hair. “But it’s the Frozen Gala… it’s very important to her.”

“That’s what she tells me all day long,” Zelda rolls her eyes. “But I’ve never spent New Year’s Eve without her and I’m not sure if I’m ready to let her go in the world alone.”

Zelda’s eyes fill with tears and Mary gently caresses her cheek. Zelda doesn’t hide her tears, doesn’t turn her face, and to Mary, this is probably the biggest proof of love and trust Zelda can give her.

“You’re not letting her go, my love,” she whispers. “She’ll just go out with her best friend and her mom while you and I can do something completely girly like having drinks and dancing and I can kiss you in the middle of the dance floor…”

Despite everything, Zelda laughs, and Mary kisses her lips. “And then, she’ll come home, we’ll have hot cocoa and she’ll tell us everything.”

Zelda doesn’t say anything, she just sighs and lays down, resting her forehead in the space where Mary's neck meets her shoulder.

“I don’t know how you cope with me,” Zelda groans against Mary’s skin. “Hilda is right, I have a terrible attitude. And don’t tell me any bullshit about you loving me exactly how I am.”

Mary laughs, squeezing her girlfriend between her boney arms. “Okay, I _do_ love you for who you are, but to be honest, you have a bit of a temper, we all know this.”

Zelda grumps again, but Mary doesn’t add anything else, she just holds her.

Finally, two days before New Year’s Eve, Zelda and Leticia call a truce.

They’re having tea at the Mortuary, hanging around the Christmas tree and the crackling fire. Sabrina, laying on her belly on the carpet, is reading a novel for her history class, sometimes gently touching Mary’s leg to gather her attention, but mostly foreign to the world. Mary is curled on the armchair with Zelda, the redhead’s head comfortably resting on her collarbone, their hands intertwined between them. Leticia is cuddled on the couch with Hilda, still not a fan of her mother, and, for an extension, of Mary, because she had refused to side with her, so Leticia had declared that she clearly must love Zelda more than her. At that moment, Mary had realized that, even if Leticia was adopted, when she was angry, she was Zelda Spellman’s daughter right to her bones.

Zelda tells Leticia that, it’s all right, she can go to her Frozen Ice Gala or whatever, and the little girl of course hugs her like she hasn’t seen her in ten years, and every complaint about Zelda being the _most unreasonable and worst Mommy ever of every little girl in the whole wide world_ leaves place to a shower of “Mommy you are the bestest, I love you to the moon and back Mommy, I’m sorry I said I wanted another Mommy!”

Of course, she hasn’t, not to Zelda’s face at least, and she is about to comment on it, but Mary squeezes her fingers around her wrist and whispers: “She doesn’t think it, she was just mad.” Leticia, always constantly ready to catch any whisper between Mary and Zelda, is too busy telling Hilda in great detail how their night is going to unfold.

“I want to strangle her,” Zelda mutters, moving her hand to grip Mary’s wrist in return.

“Think about our dancing night. She’s just going through a phase.”

“She is _five_! And there’s better be sex on our agenda.”

“There’s always sex on our agenda,” Mary replies, but Hilda coughs. “Little ears,” she mutters.

“I have little ears, Auntie Hildie,” Leticia remembers her, and Hilda giggles: “I know, my love. I was reminding your Mommy and Mary because they apparently forgot.”

Leticia is silent for a moment, looking at Hilda, then she jumps up and looks at Zelda: “Mommy, that is a figure of speech! Right?!”

Zelda chuckles: “Right, my love. You have the figures of speech almost down.”

Hilda and Mary burst into laughter, and Leticia looks at them without getting the joke. She just thinks it’s another figure of speech she’s not getting, and gets up from the couch, climb into Mary’s lap, and showers her with kisses: “I’m sorry I said you love Mommy more than you love me!” she declares, then she looks straight into Mary's baby blues eyes. “'Cause you don’t, right?”

Zelda hisses a scandalized “Leticia!”, but Mary squeezes her thigh and gathers the little girl in her arm.

“It’s not that I love your Mommy more than you,” she starts, caressing Leticia’s honey hair. “It’s a different kind of love.”

“How comes?” Leticia asks, looking at her, expectations clearly written on her face. “Love is love,” she shrugs. “Right?”

“Well, yes,” Mary nods. “You see, it’s a bit complicate, sweet pea.”

“But I am smart,” Leticia assures her. “I can ‘derstand.”

“I know you are,” Mary giggles. “Smart and stubborn just like your Mommy!”

Leticia grins, but she’s clearly still waiting for an explanation.

“Leticia, leave Mary alone,” Zelda groans, clearly on her last nerve, but Mary shoots her a dirty look: “Zelds, that’s fine. She can ask, I’ll do my best to explain.” She looks at Letty, focused on making her understand: “If I ask you who you love most, if Auntie Hildie or ‘Brina, could you decide?”

Hilda’s head snaps up from her knitting job, and she mutters: “How nice to be brought into this.”

“You’re welcome, sister,” Zelda sarcastically says back, and she reaches for her cigarettes, but Letty exclaims: “No, Mommy! Bad smell! Mary and me are here.”

“Mary and I, baby, Mary _and I._ ”

“Yes, Mommy, you too,” she nods, but Zelda lets the topic drop. She doesn’t have enough strength to explain to her daughter that she was just correcting her grammar. She’ll learn the correct use of pronouns another day, and Zelda won’t feel a bad mother about it.

Leticia, in the meanwhile, is thinking hard. After a few seconds, she shakes her head: “I dunno, Mary. I love them both, I love ‘Brina because she’s the bestest cousin ever. ‘Brose too. And Auntie Hildie because no one is better than Auntie Hildie.” She thinks for a second, then rectifies: “Well, ‘xcept for Mommy.”

Zelda can’t help but beam, and Mary smiles at the little girl: “See? You can’t choose. You feel for them a different kind of love, and yet you love all of them.”

Leticia stays quiet for a while, then elaborates: “Yes. But Mommy is the person I love the most.”

“Oh, baby,” Zelda whispers.

“Well, that’s normal. Because the love between parents and children is the strongest and purest love you can experience. Plus, you have a great relationship with your Mommy, and that’s important too.”

“You don’t have children, Mary, so is your Mommy the person you love the most in the world?”

“No, sweetie, because –” she stops for a second. She’s closed up against a corner. _Good job, Mary._ “My mother died a long time ago, sweet pea. And you see, when you grow up you find someone with whom you share your life, and you love that person _romantically_. Does it make any sense?”

Leticia nods, then she pouts her lips, clearly thinking hard. “Like a girlfriend or a husband?”

Mary nods. “Yes, in that way.”

Letty’s little face lights up and she bounces on Mary’s lap: “So my Mommy is the person you love the most in the world?!”

Mary deeply blushes, then she nods.

“Oh, are you done with this nonsense?” Zelda spits, wiping her eyes with the palm of her hands.

Leticia just giggles: “Mary, you see, I was right: you love Mommy _more than me_! But I forgive you, I love her more too!”

And Zelda spits again: “Nonsense!”

* * *

On New Year’s Eve, Zelda and Mary try out something different and they get ready together for their night out.

Zelda drops Leticia off at her best friend’s house. They hug and kiss and Leticia, in a very adult way, promises again that she’ll be home at one-thirty. Then, Zelda drives to Mary.

It’s the middle of the afternoon and in the backseat, she has a small overnight bag where she’s packed her PJs (due to Leticia’s presence), Leticia's things (PJs, toothbrush, a change of clothes, her Chocolate Frogs, the Olaf hot bottle, God forbids she forgets the damn thing, Leticia had reminded her _twenty_ times), her own make-up, her curling iron, and her outfit for the night.

“Happy last day of the year, my love,” Mary murmurs when she opens the door, bringing Zelda close to her by the hips and kissing her cold face.

“To you too, sweetheart,” Zelda replies, a tone so sweet it barely belongs to her, and she reaches for Mary’s lips.

They go inside, where the atmosphere is cozy and warm, the picture of Zelda, Leticia, and Mary Sabrina had gifted the brunette for Christmas in a great display on the mantle.

The kettle is on, and Mary smiles at her girlfriend: “Go sit on the couch. Do you want tea, or you’d prefer coffee?”

Zelda looks at her wristwatch: “Screw that, it’s almost five. Let’s have a drink, shall we?”

"Actually is five minutes past four, sweetheart, but who am I to deny you alcohol?"

Zelda removes her shoes, and she curls on the couch, browsing the novel Mary is reading, resting on the coffee table.

“I’m just going in the basement to fetch us a fresh bottle,” Mary announces, and barely two seconds later, the brunette’s phone rings.

“Mary!” Zelda calls. “Your phone!”

“Pick that up, love, won’t you?”

Zelda walks to the mantle, where the phone is and looks at the caller ID.

_Lyla Novacek._

Oh, such a sweet time to wish little miss Novacek a happy New Year.

“Hello?”

“Uh – sorry. I’m looking for Mary Wardwell?”

“Lyla, hello. It’s Zelda Spellman.”

“Oh! Zelda. Hi! This is Mary’s phone, right?” she giggles.

“Yes, dear, this is Mary’s phone.”

“Is this a bad time?”

“I’m afraid so,” Zelda answers, faking a sorrow she for sure isn’t feeling. “Mary is in the shower,” she rapidly lies. It would show that bitch.

“Oh!” Lyla gasps.

“I can take a message for you if you like?”

“Oh, no. That’s okay. I just wanted to wish her a happy New Year, but I’ll call back later.”

“Do that. If she doesn’t reply – wait a second.” She moves the phone from her ear and calls: “In a minute, sweetie!”. She puts Mary’s phone back against her ear. “Lyla, I’m sorry, she forgot to bring to the bathroom a clean robe and I’m actually wearing hers.” She takes a pause and giggles. “Happy New Year, and if she doesn’t pick up it’s because we’re going dancing and you know, with the music and everything…”

“Sure, I understand. Well, Happy New Year, Zelda.”

“To you as well.”

When Mary comes up again, Zelda is nonchalantly texting Sabrina.

“Who was that, love?”

“Mmh?”

“At the phone, Zelds.”

“Oh.” Zelda looks up and her eyes meet Mary’s. “Lyla Novacek. Calling to wish you a bright and happy New Year.”

“ _Oh_. Okay.”

“I told her you were in the shower.”

“Zelda!” Mary gasped. “Why would you do that?”

“Because I wanted her to have the clear image of you naked in the shower while I was wearing your bathrobe,” Zelda answers, still texting Sabrina.

Mary doesn’t say anything. She just nods: “I understand.” She reaches out for her phone and then, just then, Zelda lifts her eyes from her phone. “Call her back and I’ll cut your hands off. And I kind of need your fingers.”

Of course, Mary puts the phone back down.

Lyla calls back, anyway.

She does it when they’re just out of the shower – for real, this time.

Mary had gone down on Zelda, and she’s feeling definitely lightheaded as she’s sitting down on the closet toilet, while the brunette is brushing her wet red curls.

“The phone – wait a second love,” and Mary bends to kiss Zelda’s head.

“Hey, Lyla!” she greets in the device, and Zelda rolls her eyes. Of course the bitch had to call back. And she has to do it before dinner time so she’s actually sure they aren’t out yet.

Mary is giggling on the phone, telling Lyla: “Yes, I’m sorry… uh, yes, we’re going dancing. No, Leticia is out with her friend,” when Zelda decides she’s actually done with Lyla Novacek for the night. She gets up: Mary is standing, her back to Zelda, as she paces casually around the room. Zelda drops the bathrobe she’s wearing and wraps her arms around Mary from behind, pressing her naked breast, belly, and crotch against Mary. The brunette sighs subtly, but Zelda reaches to her front and unties her bathrobe, letting it drop to the floor. She presses her breasts to Mary’s back and the brunette gasps in the phone.  
“Oh, no, Lyla, I’m okay – of course.”

Zelda leans close to Mary’s ear, moves her hair away with her nose, and whispers: “Hang up right now or she can listen as I fuck you.”

Naturally, Mary wishes Lyla a happy New Year and hangs up.

“I’m done! I’m done!” she swears.

“Good,” Zelda nods, and she plugs in the ironing curl, putting her robe back on.

“Zelda…” Mary says, disappointed. Zelda looks at her over her own shoulder and smiles widely: “Oh, sweetheart. If you thought you won’t pay for the giggles you clearly don’t know me enough. Besides, good things come to those who wait. Now, start doing your make-up or we’ll be late.”


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alone time to start a new year in the best way possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy a Lyla and Leticia and drama free chapter and pay me back with comments bye and thank you XD (yes, I'm begging, love me anyway)  
> jokes aside - another chapter I'm unsure about, but they are just so cute, ugh.
> 
> Fedeee buon compleanno ♡

Mary can’t keep her eyes off Zelda.

The most mundane thing they’ve engaged in, during their relationship, has been an elegant dinner here and there. Mostly, their relationship had consisted of tons of food at the Mortuary, endless cups of tea, some margaritas, and of course, everything Leticia. So, Harry Potter movies, Harry Potter books, Harry Potter merchandise. Sometimes, something Disney. And coloring, and singing and dancing, and kisses and hugs.

Despite this domestic picture, Mary knows deeply how sexy Zelda can be. They’ve been having sex for a month, now, a month full of delicate touches, delicious tastes, toe-curling imagines that Mary can reply in her mind in every moment.

Of course, all of this can’t compare with what Mary is witnessing right now. It had been Mary, the one suggesting they go out for New Year’s Eve because she loves to dance and also because she wants to enjoy her girlfriend in a neutral situation, where no one watched them, no one expected anything from them, Zelda wasn’t someone’s mother and Mary wasn’t someone’s teacher. Well, principal, nowadays.

Well, except the closure and solitude Mary craves happens just at dinner.

They eat in a nice, secluded place, and Mary begs Zelda with her eyes to sit next to her, instead of on the opposite side of the table. Tonight, wearing a short, revealing lace red dress, Zelda is the picture of the perfect minx. Of course, she slides on the bench next to Mary, and orders margaritas for the both of them.

When Mary tries to argue, she just looks at her: “Mexican restaurant. We drink margaritas as we eat. And that’s final.”

Mary smiles at the waiter, waiting next to them, somehow embarrassed: “She’s a mom, you know, that’s why she’s so bossy.”

The boy blushes and smiles then goes away, and Zelda snorts: “He peeked at your breasts. I saw him.”

Mary is wearing a simple, short mini black dress, but low-cut on her full breasts. Zelda has already taken advance of it in the car, where she had placed quite a few bites on the supple flesh.

“You see people flirting with me everywhere,” Mary shrugs, but Zelda gives her such a look, she regrets immediately what she’s said.

“Do you want to dig into that again?” Zelda asks. “Because I’m fully prepared and I’m quite positive I can win the argument.”

“We’re not doing that,” Mary sighs, wrapping an arm around Zelda’s waist and placing her chin on her shoulder. The waiter interrupts them by presenting with their drinks, and Mary doesn’t move from her position, even if she clearly sees him widening his eyes at the sight of them in a situation that clearly indicates that they’re an item.

“We’re not going to argue about her, tonight,” Mary murmurs as soon as they’re alone again.

Zelda grunts: “You know what’d be required for me to stop mentioning her name ever again.”

“Zelds,” Mary pouts. “Just tonight. It’s only me and you.”

Zelda turns and locks eyes with her girlfriend, looking intently in all that blue, and like always, something inside of her melts. Damn Lyla. She sighs and moves closer, and Mary kisses her mouth softly. “So, it’s a deal? No talking about Lyla tonight. It’s just us, my beautiful girl.” She loses her hand in Zelda’s red curls and the redhead places her hand on Mary’s thigh, gently kneading the toned flesh there.

“You are so thin,” she comments, trailing nails on olive skin.

“But I love how soft you are,” Mary retorts, squeezing Zelda’s knee and then focusing her attention on the waiter, carrying their meals.

Zelda keeps her hand on Mary’s thigh, massaging up and down, and the brunette chuckles: “Can we please just eat?” she asks

“I am eating,” Zelda comments, showing her a piece of steak impaled on her fork.

“Yes, with that hand,” Mary points out. “What worries me is what your _other_ hand is doing.”

“Nothing,” Zelda assures her, even if her warm hand trails up. “Don’t worry. You don’t deserve any physical pleasure, miss. Don’t think I forgot your giggles on that phone with that… with that _cow_!”

Mary giggles and tugs at Zelda’s hair, kissing her cheek quickly: “Don’t I?” she purred. “Are you sure? But I’m such a perfect girlfriend…”

“Oh, you are?”  
“Yes,” Mary nods with conviction, tucking Zelda’s hair behind her ear. “Because I find you perfect… and I’m crazy about you and your little girl…”

Her eyes fall on Zelda’s breasts and then she looks into her eyes.

“Nice,” Zelda smirks. She trails a finger down Mary’s sharp jawline and bats her eyelashes at her. “But you’re still not getting fucked.”

“Your daughter is right,” Mary comments, letting her hands drop from Zelda’s body. “You’re just a killjoy.”

Zelda laughs lightly. “I’m a killjoy but I’m sure Lyla will shower you with attention, in a few days.”

Mary rolls her eyes: “I can’t wait to go out with Lyla, so I can come home and tell you how she acted absolutely and exclusively friendly.”

“I’m pretty sure we’ll be busy soon, at the mortuary,” Zelda retorts, but she’s clearly joking because she steals Mary’s fork and eats from it.

“You’re evil,” Mary just giggles, peaking her lips quickly.

Zelda’s hand goes back to her thigh and squeezes.

“Totally evil,” Mary sighs.

One margarita turns into two margaritas, a peck turns into a bite, and a passionate wet kiss. When they’re ready to move their night from the restaurant to the bar, they’re in a great mood. Lyla’s name had not been spoken another time, and even the waiter has stopped looking at Mary’s breasts when he has spotted the two of them kissing from the other side of the restaurant.

As soon as they approach Zelda’s car, Mary pushes her against it and kisses her passionately, tongue diving into her mouth, hands gripping her hips.

“As much as I love your taste,” Zelda starts, moving her head and unlocking her car, “I’m not falling for your jokes. Get inside, we’re gonna dance.”

They climb in, Mary snorting. Anyway, as soon as they get in the bar, she can’t help but forget the frustration she felt in the car. _This_ is what she wants. She feels so proud. Zelda is stunning and they make a rather nice couple, people looking at them as they walk by.

“I want a drink,” her girlfriend declares, and Mary laughs: “I know you do, sweetheart. I know you.” She slides her arm around Zelda’s shoulders and kisses the mole on her temple. They are always affectionate and don’t particularly worry about what would think who sees them, but this time, Mary feels hype, her stomach doing somersaults every time she kisses her partner. They’re alone. No one knows them. And looking around, in the warm, nice place, she sees various couples hugging and smiling at each other, straight and gay all the same.

“Zelda?” she calls as the redhead slides on a stool, smiling at the bartender.

“Yes, sweetie?” she turns to her and smiles. Mary leans close and quickly kisses her lips: “I love you.”

Zelda blushes, takes her hand, and kisses the knuckle where the ring is. As much as Mary wants to hear the words, this counts as much as an _I love you too_ , and it warms her heart. She slides between Zelda’s thighs and giggles, kissing her mouth again. “I love you,” she smirks. Another kiss, another loving gaze. “I love you.”

“You’ve made your point,” Zelda laughs, holding her close. “Drinks?”  
“Drinks.”

They sit side by side at the bar, the place crowded but not too much. It feels just perfect, and they chat vividly, laughing and poking each other.

“Do you want to dance?” Mary asks at some point.

“Yes,” Zelda smiles. “But not now, do you mind? This is so nice. I want to stay here some more.”

“We can do whatever you want,” Mary nods, squeezing Zelda’s knee. “It’s just after eleven, this leaves us enough time to chat and dance before we need to meet our little girl.”

She stops and gasps. “Zelda, I’m sorry – Your little girl, of course. It was just --”

Zelda shakes her head, a sweet smile brightening her features: “It’s okay.”

Mary is still embarrassed, but Zelda doesn’t say more. The waiter approaches and places a drink in front of Zelda: “This is from that gentleman over there,” he announces, pointing to a handsome stranger, dark eyes, a bright smile, and salt-and-pepper hair.

“Oh!” Zelda giggles and she accepts the drink, smiling seductively at the other man.

“Zelda!!!” Mary gasps. “You are accepting it!”

“Of course, love,” Zelda shrugs, “Do you really expect me to pass by a free drink?”

“But he was hitting on you! In front of me!”

“No, Mary, I just accepted a free drink, and besides, I am here with you and he isn’t showing any sign of approaching us.”

“He better!” the brunette groans. “C’mon, let’s go dancing.”

They stand up and lose themselves on the dance floor. It’s the most enjoyable feeling ever, dancing close to each other, exchanging touches and kisses filled with pure love.

Zelda wraps her arms around Mary’s waist and bringing her close to her, breasts against breasts.

“Kiss me, sexy lady,” she smirks, and Mary blushes and consents. She kisses Zelda, then moans biting her bottom lip.

“I’m so happy,” she whispers, hugging Zelda and hiding her face in the redhead’s neck.

“Me too. This is such a special New Year’s Eve.”

Mary moves her face, and they lock eyes. Zelda sighs and confesses: “Starting a new year… with someone I – with _you_ ,” she whispers, and it that _you_ , somehow there’s everything Mary needs to know.

They kiss, and kiss, and kiss, surrounded by other people and still alone.

They dance some more, then Mary pecks Zelda’s cheek: “I’m going to the bathroom really quick, sweetheart. Don’t move.”

Going to the bathroom without having to stand in line for half the evening is such a nice feeling, and Mary pees, washes her hands, and takes a few spare seconds to check on her make-up, reapplying her lipstick, smeared by the tender kisses.

When she goes back, she spots Zelda immediately, and she’s where she has left her, and she’s dancing with the man. The one who has offered her the drink. She looks stunning, drop-dead gorgeous, illegally sexy. She’s keeping her distance but smiling and talking. Mary is annoyed beyond words. She walks to them and grabs Zelda by the waist. The man looks at them puzzled as Zelda looks at her and smiles.

“Hi,” Mary smiles at the man. “I’m Mary.”

“Peter,” he grins.

“I’m her girlfriend,” Mary tells him. He grins: “Interesting. Care about a threesome?” he winks.

Zelda laughs, and Mary hugs her close: “It would be nice, but I’m not willing to share her.”

He’s smart enough to let the thing drop and swim away in the sea of flesh.

“I love it when you get jealous,” Zelda grins, bodies smashed together, mouths teasing necks and ears. “Would have been nice to real? A threesome?” she asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Idiot,” Mary giggles.

At that moment, the DJ announces that it’s only twenty seconds until midnight.

A waiter is passing by, and Zelda grabs two glasses for them.

“Look at me,” Zelda whispers, and Mary does. “I want us to start the New Year looking into each other’s eyes.”

_10… 9… 8… 7… 6… 5… 4…_

“I have a better idea,” Mary shrugs and places her lips against Zelda’s. “Let’s rock into this new thing kissing each other.”

Zelda obeys, channel every unspoken sentiment in that kiss, and when the DJ roars a _Happy New Year!_ and the crowd explodes, she’s biting down Mary's lips. And it’s simply perfect.

As soon as they approach the car, Mary pushes her against it once again, this time determined in having her right here, right now.

“I love your curves,” she whines passionately, reaching behind Zelda’s back to unlock the car.

“Let’s get in,” she murmured, hand trailing up to her chest, squeezing a breast before cupping her neck and kissing her with even more passion.

“You’re not getting fucked,” Zelda reminds her as Mary gets into the back seat and drags her along.

“I’m not, I got it,” Mary panted, hands finding a way under Zelda’s dress. “But this doesn’t mean _you aren’t_.”

Zelda laughs and moans as Mary’s fingers trail up her thong-covered pussy.

“My beautiful girl,” the brunette whispers, and Zelda abruptly pushes her hands away, as she starts fretting with the front of Mary’s dress. “I want you naked _now_.”

“Baby, we can’t get naked,” Mary reasons, nibbling and licking down her neck and she starts touching her thighs. “And we are in a hurry. Daughter to pick up.”

“But you have your hands up my skirt!”

“Yes, and I intend of making you come,” Mary promises, two of her fingers slipping under her panties to circle her clit. Zelda moans loudly and sneaks her hand _inside_ Mary’s dress, cupping one full breast.

“Zelda,” she moans, leaning over to claim her mouth. She can’t hold back anymore, so she dips two fingers into Zelda’s wet cunt, and quickly, almost roughly, she starts fucking her. She has never been rough, with Zelda, and when it has happened, it has always been the other way around. And yet, seeing all those people looking at her, seeing _that man hitting_ on her, had awakened something new inside of her. If she isn’t so intoxicated, she’d realize that she feels in this moment what Zelda feels every time she sees her with Lyla, but she isn’t thinking. She just wants to have her; she _needs_ to have Zelda.

They’re probably beyond late, and Mary fastens her pace, Zelda moaning uncontrollably, her throat releasing strangled cries. She comes fast and loud, and Mary looks at her, satisfied, a big, proud grin on her face.

Later, that night, Mary is reading the first pages of the year, curled in bed with a book on her lap, her reading glasses on her nose. The sounds of the sleeping house, the first night of a brand-new year, are relaxing and calming, and when she looks up, she sees Zelda, sleeping on her back, lips curled in an adorable pout, and hair – a red halo on her pillow. On her hip, is tucked and exhausted, sweet Leticia, face pressed against her mother’s side.

And she feels truly blessed.


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary goes out with Lyla, as she accidentally breaks Zelda's heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get napkins.  
> Don't throw eggs at me.  
> Don't hate Mary.  
> Remember I just do happy endings.  
> (honestly tell me if it sucks because in this period I hate everything I write! *broken heart*)

Mary had been just right: Lyla is anything but a nice girl and a good chat.

She had shown up with their date looking incredibly nice, with a mini black dress and pink high heels, lipstick the same color, and Mary had felt a little underdressed in her knee-length tartan skirt with a black turtleneck, but what’s she supposed to wear to hang out with a friend? It wasn’t like she was going out on a date with Zelda.

They had strolled around, looking at the show, and at some point, Lyla had slid her arm under Mary’s, looking for a shelter in the cold weather. Now, they’re having a drink in a crowded bar, and Mary wraps herself in her wooden scarf, not noticing Lyla’s eyes caressing her bust discretely, as she talks excitedly about Leticia and their Christmas whereabouts. 

“You care so deeply about this little girl,” Lyla notices at some point, ordering them both another drink and scooting closer to Mary with her chair. She casually wraps an arm around the back of Mary’s chair, but she barely notices.

“She’s my world,” she just smiles, trying to put into words how much that little girl has changed her life. She wants to add _along with her mother_ , but she guesses that’s not the best way to tell her about her relationship with Zelda. Even if she needs to, and she knows it.

“I’m sorry if I always talk about Leticia,” she giggles, and Mary smiles sweetly at her. “I don’t mind,” she shakes her head. “You light up when you speak about her, and you’re even cuter. Besides, speaking of that, I’m so happy you’ve accepted to come with me, today.”

“It’s my pleasure,” Mary replies out of courtesy, bypassing the compliment. But were they speaking about that?

Lyla is really close, but Mary doesn’t exactly notice, as invested as she is in her storytelling. She can smell her perfume, but when she turns, Lyla catches her off guard and slides her hand over her neck, pressing her lips softly against the brunette's mouth.

Mary freezes.

_No. Oh my God, no._

She jumps back as quickly as she can, covering her mouth with her hand, trying in every way to hold back tears.

Lyla’s eyes widen as she starts mutters: “I’m sorry… I thought… I mean, I was pretty sure you… well, that you… played in my team. That you liked women, I mean.”

Mary gulps: “That’s true! I do like women!”

Lyla’s bottom lips trembles ever so slightly. “So that’s me.”

“No, you are a great girl,” Mary assures her. “Young, too, and I am flattered that you’re interested in me like that.”  
Lyla is looking at her, completely lost, the shame of the rejection shining in her green eyes. “But then…”

“I’m in love with another woman,” Mary simply explains, sighing softly, and unconsciously, her hand – the hand with the ring – reached up to fidget with her charm. A shadow of realization washes over Lyla’s face, and she gasps: “It’s Zelda, isn’t she?” she asks, but it’s not much of a question. “I should have known… it was too much. The looks, the way you talk to each other… your connection with Leticia. You’re in love with her mother.”

Mary just nods: “I’m sorry. I – I can’t help it. It was love at first sight.”

Lyla sighs: “I should have figured it out. I guess I just didn’t want to see it…” then, she looks at Mary and her gaze hardens: “You should have told me sooner! You made me look like a fool! I shamelessly flirted with you in front of her!”

“I know,” Mary nods. “You are right.”

“You bet I am! You encouraged me!”

“No, no,” Mary says, trying to make her understand. “I actually never thought you were interested in me that way, considering our age difference.”

“Oh, Mary, c’mon,” Lyla scoffs, standing up. “I’m eight years younger than you!” She puts on her coat, gathering her bag and scarf: “Thank you for a lovely evening. See you in school.”

And she leaves.

Mary takes her head in her hands: she’s messed up. Badly. _Terribly_ messed up. Lyla would never speak to her again and – oh God. _Zelda_. What the hell is she supposed to tell Zelda? They’ve _kissed_. Well, no. Technically, Lyla has kissed her, but she knows her girlfriend. It won’t be enough.

Is she supposed to tell her? Yes, she needs to tell her. Of course, she does. Zelda would be terribly mad about this already, but maybe, just maybe, she would forgive her. With time. Maybe. But if she hides this….

Panic squeezes her throat with its fingers, and she’s afraid she believes she may have a panic attack soon. What if Zelda – she can’t even think about it. If Zelda calls their relationship off, she… she can’t even consider the possibility. Life without Zelda and Leticia… it simply _isn’t_ life.

Mary stays there for a while, unable to move, unable to come up with a plan until her phone rings in her bag.

 _Zelda._ Oh, God.

“Hey, my love,” she picks up tentatively.

“Your love my ass. Are you still out with the twelve-year-old? My sister took the girls out for hot chocolate and I wanted to see if you were available to keep me company.”

“No, Lyla’s gone home. I’m actually just finishing my drink. And I am _definitely_ willing to keep you company. For the whole night, if you want me to.”

“She left you there before you finished your drink? Chivalry is definitely dead.”

Mary giggles: “Don’t joke.” She takes a breath. “Zelda… you know I love you, right?”

“Mary, what the fuck does it mean that you love me?”

“It means just that. I love you; I want to be with you, more than anything else in the world.”

“Why are you telling me this?”  
“No reason, maybe I just… don’t show you enough.”

“Mary, you actually tell me it every ten minutes. What –” she stops. “Satan in Hell, if you start like this it means something happened. Are you breaking up with me for her?”  
“Don’t be ridiculous, I’m telling you that I love you… Listen, can I come over? So we can talk in person.”

“Mary, what the fuck do we need to talk about? What did you do?”

“Let me come over.”

_I’m not telling her over the phone. I’m not telling her over the phone._

“Mary, tell me now because I’m starting to lose it.”

_I’m not. Telling her. Over the phone._

“Sweetie, I’ll be there in fifteen minutes top. Wait for me. I’ll see you soon – I love you,” and she hangs up. She gathers her things and quickly gets to her car, spinning a little too much toward the Mortuary. Thankfully, the streets are empty, and she pulls over in front of the manor in fifteen minutes, exactly like she’s told Zelda.

She appears as soon as Mary rings the bell, still in her work clothes, a dark blue fitting dress hugging her curves perfectly. Mary knows those curves intimately, so deep down she could draw every freckles and mole on her skin. She’s wearing her hair totally down; it’s not even pinned on her temples. She’s so beautiful it aches.  
“Come inside,” Zelda orders, moving to let her pass, but as she walks inside, Mary grabs her hips and kisses her lips, urgently and deeply, trying to forget Lyla’s taste, and most of all how badly her mistake tastes. If only she had listened to Zelda… to _Sabrina._ She kisses Zelda trying to remember every fold of her lips, just in case… Mary knows her. She does. And that’s why she’s so afraid.

Zelda kisses her back, even if briefly.

“Let’s go to the kitchen, I need whiskey.”

She’s leaning against the kitchen counter, nursing a glass of amber-colored liquor.

“Spill it,” she sighs. “What happened? Did she flirt with you? You had to push her away?”

“Zelda, I – we kissed,” she confesses, and she feels like she’s dying as Zelda’s face loses its color. Then, she quickly corrects: “No, well, she kissed me, and I wasn’t quick enough to move. I’m sorry, Zelda, you were right…”

Zelda looks at her without saying anything. Then, she starts breathing deeply and quickly – then deeper, and quicker, deeper, and quicker. She places the glass on the counter, her hands shaking terribly, her knees weakening.

Mary recognizes the panic attack immediately and as Zelda slides to the ground, she takes her in her arms and pushes her head between her knees. Ignoring the tears streaming down her own cheeks, she caresses Zelda’s hair and back, as the redhead breaths hurriedly, and she whispers: “It’s all right, love, it’s all right. You’re safe, I’m here with you. Breath deeply. It’s okay.”

It takes Mary a long time to calm Zelda down, a time in which she feels guilty and stupid beyond all meanings. If just…

When, finally, Zelda raises her head, she quickly cups her cheek with a hand, murmuring: “How do you feel, my love? I’m sorry, it’s all my fault –”

Her voice dies in her throat when she sees Zelda’s eyes: it’s rage and fury and hurt. A hurt and sorrow she had always been sure she would never have to see, in Zelda’s eyes.

“You kissed her?” Zelda asks, voice a mere whisper.

“She kisses me,” Mary corrects. “I didn’t –”

“Why didn’t you tell her?” Zelda asks. “Why didn’t you tell her immediately?

“I wanted to. I just thought I would do so after the show, and then I was talking about Letty, and she didn’t give me enough time to –”  
“You kissed while you were talking about _my_ daughter?!” Zelda almost laughs. “You could have told her. You should have. We decided to tell her at Christmas, and if she thought she had any right to kiss you –”  
“Zelda, _no,_ ” Mary stops her, grabbing her shoulders, and Zelda wants to step back, but she’s still too fragile from the panic attack. “No, I haven’t encouraged her in any way. Or if I have, it’s been totally unintentional. Zelda, you know how much I love you—”

“Do I?” Zelda asks, apparently completely calm. “You said so, yes, and you were perfect, just the perfect girlfriend, not even pressuring me to say it back. And yet, I’ve asked you. I’ve asked you precisely not to, I’ve told you how much this girl was becoming an issue for me, that I was sure she would try something. You love me, and you jeopardize our thing like this?”

“Zelda, of course I love you, I swear –”

“I don’t want to hear it,” Zelda stops her. “Your actions have spoken a little louder than any love declaration.” She takes a quick pause to move her hair away from her face, in which Mary, crying without knowing how to stop, struggles for something to say, something to make her understand. Then, Zelda adds: “I knew it. I’ve known since the first time I’ve seen here. Faustus was right. It’s me, right? I’m not enough. Never,” and Mary’s heart breaks.

She gets up, and Mary does as well, urging: “Love, you have to listen to me, I swear –”  
“Don’t call me like that!” Zelda spits, pushing a hand against Mary’s torso. “You have nothing to explain. We’re done.”

A void fills Mary’s inside. She reacts quickly and desperately, trying to grab Zelda’s shoulders, as she cries and says: “No, please, you can’t leave me – you _can’t._ ” The pain Adam had caused her comes back, whole and brash, except the great love she had felt for him is just a pallid shadow of what she feels for Zelda.

“Get out,” Zelda says, plain and simple. The tears are streaming down her face, but she isn’t making any scene, neither she intends to. She’s hiding behind an ice wall, and that’s what scares Mary the most.

“No, Zelda, Zelda, please –"

_“Get out, I said!”_

Rumors in the hall, then three figures materialize on the kitchen’s doorstep.

“Holy Hell, what is happening here?” asks Hilda’s voice, as Sabrina gulps a murmured “Ms. Wardwell!” and Leticia’s eyes starts watering and she clings to her cousin, mumbling a simple: “Mommy?” and looking completely disoriented from her mother to Mary.

Quickly, Zelda wipes her tears away from her face, and even if she’s feeling a pain she’s never experienced in her life, she manages to smile at her little girl: “Hey, Girlfriend. You home already?”

“She was missing you,” Hilda explains, looking from her sister to Mary, trying to figure out what the hell was happening, while Leticia moves tentative steps toward her mother.

Zelda kneels and opens her arms: “Come to Mommy, Bunny,” and only then Leticia walks quickly, hugging Zelda. She wipes her mom’s tears with her opened, little hand, then looks at Mary confused: “Mary, why are you and Mommy crying?”

“Sweet pea…” she tries to start, but: “It’s nothing, baby,” Zelda interrupts, kissing Leticia’s temple. “Do you want to go take a bath while I read Harry to you?”

Leticia nods, but tentatively looks between the two of them, as Sabrina – and she doesn’t even know why she’s doing it – approaches Mary, still trying hard not to cry, and places a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“Let’s have a cup of tea,” Hilda proposes, but Zelda sternly says: “Mary is going home.”

“Are you mad at Mary, Mommy?” Leticia asks, and before Zelda could reply, Mary steps forward and places a hand on the little girl’s back, saying: “It’s my fault, sweet pea. I made a mistake and hurt Mommy, but I didn’t want to, and I was trying to apologize.”

When Leticia moves from Mary’s touch, the brunette thinks she might die. She’s never felt more alone in her life. Not even that goddam morning, when she had woken up to find Adam gone without a word of goodbye.

“Very well,” she says, nodding. “I’ve intruded enough. Have a good bath, Letty. Bye, Sabrina, Hilda.”

She picks up her coat, then she turns toward Zelda: “Zelda…” but the redhead is already climbing up the stairs, holding Leticia.

“Ms. Wardwell, what happened?” Sabrina whispers furiously, getting closer to the brunette. “It was –”

Mary shrugs and gently touches Sabrina’s face: “You were right. I’ll see you in school, okay?”

“Mary…” Hilda starts, but Mary furiously shakes her head: “It’s okay, Hilda. I’ll see you around. You…”

She doesn’t want to sob in front of them. With a last look toward the stairs, to Zelda’s room, where she’s been happy, happier than ever, she runs away. She can barely make it to her car, before collapsing in it and breaking down in desperate sobs.


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It wasn’t fate – it’s not written for her. She hides her face in Leticia’s sweaty hair."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should have updated Dusk till Dawn but then I thought you needed to see what's happening here.  
> Good? Bad? Let me know :) They both are stunning, aren't they?  
> Thank you for the comments and for the texts full of insults, love you guys :)

She spends her night on the couch, eyes fixed on the picture on the mantle. They looked so happy, so in love, Leticia’s face hidden in her neck. She holds the charm in her hand so strongly she’s afraid the little medal can somehow cut the skin, and she sobs so loudly once or twice she’s on the verge of having a panic attack herself. Just like Zelda, the night before. And all because of her. She can’t stop asking herself why. It really has been because she has wanted Lyla to be her friend, or there has been more? Or she has been so afraid that Zelda would leave her, at some point, that she has unconsciously done something to actually _make_ her leave? Complicated, but actually persuasive. What was she going to do, now? Her guts tell her to go back in her car, drive to the Mortuary and make Zelda listen. But Leticia would be there, obviously, and it was the middle of the night, and… and the look on Zelda’s face when she had told her to leave. Maybe it had been out of anger, but if she really was serious? If they were really over?

Mary looks around her cottage, her warm home, her safe shelter. It was full of little signs of Zelda and Leticia’s presence, although invisible to foreign eyes. The ashtray on the coffee table, a drawing made by Leticia on the fridge – the little girl has drawn herself holding hands with two stick figures with a brown bush of hair – Mary – and a red waterfall – Zelda. The little girl’s mug in the cupboard, two extra toothbrushes in the bathroom, a little fluffy pink robe for Leticia. A bookmarked copy of _The Chamber of Secrets_ on Mary’s nightstand.

The most heartbreaking thing, however, hasn’t been Zelda breaking up with her. It was absurd, but to Mary, the worse thing has been Zelda telling her that Faustus has been right. The worst thing has been that by going out with Lyla, by not being honest with her from the beginning, she has led Zelda to believe that she was the problem, that _she_ wasn’t enough. And she can’t have that. Unfortunately, she doesn’t know how she can make that up.

She wasn’t a teenager anymore, and yet she’s never experienced such pain. And, the following day at school, she was supposed to face both Sabrina _and_ Lyla. Her karma was actual shit.

* * *

Calming Leticia down is never an easy job. The little girl throws tantrum rarely, but when she does… well, even if she isn’t her biological daughter, she has Zelda’s temper and that’s a fact. That night is worse, and she has to stroke her hair for hours, telling her that everything is fine, and Mary isn’t a bad person, even if her heart bleeds at the mere thought of Mary, woven in a passionate kiss with Lyla.

Only when Leticia falls asleep, safely tucked in her arms – there had been no way to convince her to sleep in her own bed – Zelda allows herself to cry. Apparently, she’s cursed. There is no other way she can explain what the fuck just happened. She turns to her nightstand, looking at the picture of the two of them at the basketball game, Mary kissing her cheeks. They were so happy. Perfectly in tune with every aspect of their relationship, and Mary looked like she could handle her bad temper easily. Their sexual chemistry was up to a level really close to perfection, and they were in love. For the first time in her life, Zelda Spellman had fallen in love with someone. Deeply so, that she has been working up the courage to tell her so for weeks, looking for the right moment.

 _Non era destino_ , she thought in Italian. A saying really close to the English _it wasn’t meant to be_ , but actually including the word _fate. It wasn’t fate_ – it’s not written for her. She hides her face in Leticia’s sweaty hair. She scrunches her nose: in the morning, she better washes it.

* * *

It’s been five days – five days of not sleeping, five days of picking up the phone to call the other, refusing at the last minute.

Not wanting to see anyone is actually very hard when you’re the principal. Mary guesses she has to be thankful she’s avoided everyone for five days. But of course, it can’t last forever, can’t it?

That morning, Mary gets into the school from the back entrance like she’s recently doing and slips into her office after a quick hello to Mrs. Meeks. She retrieves a pocket mirror from her purse and checks her face: she sighs. She’s devastatingly pale, structural bones clearly visible, dark blue shadows under her eyes. She’s a mess and the make-up clearly isn’t helping.

She barely has time to sit at her desk and retrieve her planner, ready to check what needs to be done for the day and try to divert her mind from the pain she feels in her chest when Mrs. Meeks calls at the intercom.

“Yes?”  
“I am so sorry, principal Wardwell, to disturb you. Ms. Novacek’s asking if she can speak to you.”  
Oh Christ, no. She can’t handle Lyla too, and the day has barely started.

“Let her in,” she says out of reflex, trying to concentrate on the fact that this is _her_ office, her comfort zone, and in some ways, she is in control.

She glances at the frame in a corner of her desk, a recent addition, a picture of her and Zelda cuddled on the couch on Christmas morning, with their onesies, Letty grinning widely, nestled in between the two.

Lyla appears at the door, in better conditions than Mary. The first thing she says, in fact, is: “Oh, Mary, you look like shit.”

“You can say it,” Mary shrugs. “What can I do for you, Lyla?”  
“I wanted to say sorry,” Lyla whispers. “I totally overreacted, the other day. It was rude of me to leave like that, it was just…. It hurt my pride a bit that you rejected me,” she smiles.

Mary just nods: “Don’t worry. All of this is my fault, I should have told you immediately about Zelda, but we preferred to wait, you know, for Sabrina.”

“I would even love for us to stay friends if you’re okay with it,” Lyla adds. “And if Zelda is okay with that, of course.”

“Zelda doesn’t care,” Mary shrugs. “She broke up with me.”

Lyla gulps: “Oh my God, Mary! You _told_ her?”

“Eh, of course, I did.”

“Mary! But it was nothing, it was me, kissing you. You have been totally fair to her.”

“Yes, I tried to tell her, and yet she doesn’t believe it.”

“I’m so sorry,” Lyla sighs. “It’s all my fault. Do you really care about her?”

Mary lets out a strangled laugh. “To the point that I don’t think I’ll ever have another relationship.”

After a few more apologies and a renewed promise to be friends, Lyla leaves and Mary allows herself a few tears when the intercom rings again.

“Yes?”

“Sorry again, principal Wardwell. Sabrina Spellman requires to see you urgently.”

Sabrina? What the Hell –

“Yes, Mrs. Meeks. Let her in.”

Sabrina bursts into the room when Mary is trying to wipe the tears falling down her cheeks, and she exclaims: “Oh, Ms. W.!” and before the teacher can stop her, she hugs her tightly. Mary knows it’s wrong – for a whole number of reasons, the first of all is that Sabrina, in her office, is just her student, but that hug comes exactly when she needs it, and she hugs the girl as well, crying silently.

When they part, Mary asks: “How are they holding up?”

“Leticia misses you,” Sabrina grins. “She told me. And Aunt Zee… she’s a wreak. She misses you too.”  
Mary’s eyes fill with tears as well. Sabrina is looking at her cautiously, and she urges: “What?”

“She… I heard her talking with Auntie Hilda. Very briefly, actually, but… She seems to be under the conviction that you don’t care about her, since you haven’t contacted her once.”

Mary slams a hand on the desk. “That foolish girl! She was the one leaving me for a kiss!” she barks, then she straightens her back: “I’m sorry, Sabrina, I shouldn’t be telling you this. Did you need something specific?”

“No, Ms. W. I just wanted to check on you and tell you that we all miss you. And… can I offer some advice? Even if I know it’s not really my place.”

Mary nods: “Of course you can. Your Aunt and I dragged you in this mess.”

“I know you care for her, Ms. W. And Auntie Zee loves you. Please, if you… if you really care about them, you gotta fight for her. And… if you have some skeleton in your closet, tell her as well.”

Unexpectedly, Sabrina kisses her cheek and left.

Mary spent one hour looking at the screen of her phone, trying to decide what to do.

Tonight. Tonight, she will call.

* * *

At two in the afternoon, Zelda goes downstairs, both her and Letty ready to leave.

“Where are you going?” Hilda asks, gathering her own coat, ready to attend Sabrina’s parents-teachers meeting.

“To ‘Brina’s school with you!” Letty announces. Her mood isn’t the best, since that infamous night, but she associates the school with Mary and, needless to say, she misses her. A lot.

“Are you coming to the teachers-parents meeting as well?” Hilda stupidly asks, stunned.

“Why, yes,” Zelda nods, helping Leticia with her jacket and scarf. “So I can help you. And with Sabrina out with Roz and Theo, Leticia has to come along too.”

Hilda just looks at her: “Are you sure this is a good idea, love?”

“I am,” Zelda stats, and Hilda drops it. She has tried to speak to her sister on multiple occasions, but Zelda has refused every time.

They take just one car to Baxter High.

“Mommy?” Letty asks at some point from the backseat. Strangely enough, Hilda is driving, and Zelda turns back slightly to face her daughter: “Yes, love?”

“Sometimes I do bad things and you ground me and you’re really mad at me,” she states. Zelda raises an eyebrow: “Where is this coming from? Yes, it happens, but thank God for my mental sanity, you are overall a very good little girl.”

“Yes, but… remember that time I stole a pack of chewing gum for Jenny Sanders last year?”  
“Letty, I’m already nervous these days. I would have rather not remember that.”

“Yes but I was really bad and you didn’t leave me, right? You didn’t send me back to where you… to where I was before you ‘dopted me.”

Zelda literally jumps on her seat: “Oh my God, Leticia, _no_! I would never. You are my daughter. Are you joking?”

Thankfully, Hilda takes the situation into her hands, considering that Zelda, nowadays more fragile than ever, is about to cry: “What’s your point, my love? Mama forgave you, and…”

“Why can’t you forgive Mary, Mommy? She said sorry,” she shrugs.

Zelda seriously thinks she’s going to go mad soon. Is she really this strong? To answer Leticia. To handle Lyla. To see Mary again. What if – oh God, maybe she'd overreacted. If really it has been Lyla… and then, five days of silence. Maybe she and Lyla were together already. Maybe…

Maybe she was just a fool, and that was all. She was a coward. Mary made a mistake, and on this point, she was adamant. But maybe… maybe her five-year-old is right.

“Mommy is still angry, love,” Hilda explains as they get off the car. “It takes time.”

Thankful, Zelda squeezes her sister’s wrist.

The school is crowded. As much as Leticia looks around, impatiently, they can’t spot Mary anywhere.

“You can start with Math, and I, with History,” Zelda suggests to her sister, as she eyes a sign on a door: _L. Novacek, History._

“Zelda…”

“But I wanna see Mary!” Leticia argues, tugging Hilda’s hand. “Auntie, please!”

“Maybe she’s in her office,” Hilda supposes, and Zelda looks at the, sternly.

“Please, please, can I go?” Leticia begs.

“You can’t keep them from each other,” Hilda tells her sister quietly.

“Very well,” Zelda shrugs. “You can take her, Hilda, as I go speak to Ms. Novacek.”

“Mommy, don’t you want to see Mary?”

“Later,” Zelda replies, and even Letty knows that tone means it’s final.

* * *

Mary checks her reflex in the mirror: she’s about to go out of her office and face the parents and she doesn’t want to look like a corpse. But of course, she does. She’s positive she isn’t going to see Zelda, as the school affairs are usually Hilda’s area of expertise.

The intercom rings and Mary sighs, picking up: “Yes, Mrs. Meeks?”  
“There is a little lady, here, asking to see you.” She can feel from her voice Mrs. Meeks is grinning.

Could it be –

She hangs up and runs to the door, opening it, and here she is: Leticia, with Hilda.

“Sweet pea!” Mary exclaims, opening her arms.

“Mary!!!” the little girl exclaims, running to the brunette, and Mary immediately picks her up and hugs her fiercely.

“My love, I missed you so much!” she tells her, inhaling deeply in her comforting scent. Her Letty. Her little girl. Slowly but steadily, something inside of her goes in its place.

“I misseded you too, a whole lot,” Leticia smiles, backing off a little and placing both cold, little hands on Mary’s cheeks. “I haven’t seen you in forever.”

“I’m sorry, baby,” she sincerely says, and she doesn’t care if Mrs. Meeks can see. “I’m really sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Leticia sighs, cuddling in her arms, forehead against her neck as Mary rocked her softly.

“I’m so happy you came here with your Aunt,” Mary says, and reaches out to squeeze the blonde’s shoulder, considering she hasn’t even said hello to her.

Leticia moves to look at Mary, grinning: “Mommy’s here too!” and Mary’s heart skips a beat. “Where is she?”

“Speaking to Ms. Novacek,” Hilda says, and Mary grimaces. Here it comes.

“Okay, sweet pea, let’s go say hi to Mommy.”

* * *

Zelda Spellman has been referred to as a bitch her whole life, and she doesn’t really mind. Especially in moments like this, when she’s standing right in front of Lyla Novacek, and she knows she’s intimidating. 

“Hello, Zelda,” Lyla nods, trying to stay as collected as possible.

“Hello, Lyla,” Zelda smiles, sitting in front of her.

“Well, Sabrina is –"

“I don’t care about Sabrina’s whereabouts in school,” Zelda interrupts her. “You can speak to Hilda about that. You know who Hilda is, right? You’re quite familiar with my whole family. Especially my girlfriend.”

“I see,” Lyla nods. “Zelda, you have completely misunderstood the situation.”

“Have I?” Zelda asks, as cold as a cube of ice. “So you deny you have hit on my girlfriend since the moment you first met her?”

“No, of course, I don’t deny that,” Lyla smiles. “I’ve tried everything I could to have her notice me. All signs were right in front of my face and I chose to ignore them.”

“At least you’re coherent,” Zelda comments, rolling her eyes.

“But Mary – she’s such a good person. Everything she did was just to be nice to me, it was me, the one misunderstanding what she did. And for that, I owe you an apology.”

Zelda doesn’t say anything back, she just looks at her. Her instinct tells her to slap the bitch right there, but deep down, she knows she’d never had the guts to do what Lyla is doing. The girl goes on: “I am sorry if I hit on your girlfriend, I’m sorry if I kissed her. But Zelda, honestly - Mary didn’t do anything wrong. I swear. I caught her totally by surprise, and…” Lyla blushes slightly. “Well, the way she talks about you and Leticia is just magnificent. She really loves you; I can tell that much.”

Zelda wants to run – she wants to get up and leave, run away, away from the pain, from her sorrow, from the terrible doubt that maybe, just maybe, she has overreacted and completely ruined her relationship. On the other hand, if she thinks about Lyla and Mary together, happy in Riverdale, _kissing_ … she has told her. She has precisely asked her not to.

She sighs and is about to say something when someone knocks at the door.

“Come in,” Lyla calls, and both she and Zelda turns toward the door. When it opens, Mary appears at the threshold, holding Leticia in her arms. She is so stunning, and so sweet, holding her daughter, that Zelda feels her heart squeeze in her chest. _Our_ daughter, Mary had called her on New Year’s Eve. A few hellos are exchanged, but Mary has eyes just for Zelda, and even the stubborn redhead can see it. She scans Mary’s figure and realizes she’s still wearing both the necklace and the ring.

“Zelda, could you please stop by my office, when you’re done here?” Mary asks, and Zelda’s sure she’s trying the best to be professional.

“You can talk here!” Lyla interrupts, standing up. “I don’t have any parents in line, right? You can use the classroom for a few minutes while I walk this little princess back to her Auntie.”

Zelda is never too happy when she has to entrust Leticia in hands different than her own, but she nods. “You good with Lyla for a few minutes, Bunny? Mommy will be back soon.”

“You too?” Leticia asks Mary, and the brunette fakes a shocked expression: “You think I’ll let you go home without saying bye?”

In a few seconds, Mary and Zelda are alone.

Mary takes a tentative step toward Zelda, but the redhead wraps her arms around herself.

“Sweetheart…” Mary murmurs. “How are you? You look a bit tired.”

“I haven’t been able to sleep much,” Zelda shrugs. “You look terrible.”

“I know,” the brunette nods. “I miss you. And Leticia.”

She goes straight to the point, but Zelda stiffens. “You miss us, and you don’t contact me for five days? I can see how much you care.”

Mary takes another step forward and takes her hand: “I didn’t call you because I wanted to give you a few days to cool off. And because…. Because I felt abandoned,” she decides to say.

“Abandoned?” Zelda grimaces. “What the hell are you talking about, you silly woman?”

Mary sighs, but then they hear a voice in the hall: “Yes, let me point you the way to Ms. Wardwell’s office…”

“This is not the right time,” Zelda sighs.

“No, it’s not,” Mary nods. “Listen, can we go out to dinner? Tomorrow night? Just to talk. We can go through everything, just to clear our positions. And then, if you…” Mary’s eyes fill with tears, and Zelda really, really wants to take her in her arms. Instead, she takes a step back. “If you still want…” her voice breaks. “It doesn’t matter how much I want you, after we talk if you’ll still want to part ways, I’ll let you go. I promise.”

A couple of tears roll down her cheeks, and she wipes them away, and in Zelda’s eyes, she’s still perfectly decorous and beautiful.

_Why did she have to ruin everything?_

She sighs, then nods: “Okay. One dinner.”

Walking behind Hilda and Leticia to the exit, Zelda passes by Lyla. The girl smiles tentatively at her, and Zelda looks at her sternly and comments: “Thank your good star you aren’t eating worms in the back of my cemetery. Next time, I won’t be so forgiving.”


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelda tries to work something out with herself and gets ready for her dinner with Mary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do I need to say that I had a crappy week? No.  
> Do I need to say that this was too long to actually contain the entire dinner? No.  
> Do I need to say that Letty is the cutest and they're both stupid? No.  
> Do I need to say I hope to see you in the comments section? No.  
> You bet your ass I don't.
> 
> Enjoy. :)

The first time she had discovered Faustus was cheating on her, it had been in the most cliché, the most classic way ever. Meaning, through a series of emails she had found in its Gmail account. Truth to be told, she had thought he was smarter than this. His laptop has been in servicing, so he had asked – even in a pretty nice way – if he could borrow hers. And then, he had forgotten to logout from his email account.

Zelda had always been convinced he actually wanted for her to find out. Other than that, or she had married a complete and utter idiot (not that she was willing to definitely rule out that option, too).

She hadn’t particularly wanted to, but she had started to read the mailing.

_My dearest,_

_I simply can’t stop thinking about you._

Who could have guessed he was still capable of such saccharine words? Absurdly, the first thing Zelda actually felt was a pain for the other woman. He had been this sweet and charming with her as well, at first. Before the verbal and sometimes physical abuse had started.

_I spend my days recalling our afternoons together and how many times I had the privilege to slip into your warm core. Not to mention how good it actually felt to go down on you._

Zelda had gulped and stopped for a second. Go down on her? He never, ever performed oral on Zelda because he swore he didn’t like the way she tasted and because, of course, oral sex had no point in his mind: he had a dick, she had a vagina. One plus one – mathematical. Well, oral sex was pointless when _he_ was the one who needed to perform it, because when he wanted her to suck his cock… Anyway.

_I almost forgot how it feels to make love to a real woman, to have a responding body under your own. My wife… my wife is just so frigid. I’m so dissatisfied with her body. I know you told me she’s pretty when you saw her picture that time, and I guess she is, somehow. The truth is, I’ve stopped finding her attractive a long time ago. You should see her naked._

_But of course, this has nothing to do with us, with how I feel about you, my sweet, my darling Janet…_

Janet. Of course. Zelda had almost felt the urge to laugh. Of course, it was Janet Mason. That bitch. She had walked in on them kissing, once, and Faustus had told her that it couldn’t possibly mean anything, that it had been _her_ , the one kissing him and that, of course, he loved her.

_Love._

Thinking about that, years later, caught in the whole Lyla and Mary situation, laying at night on her back without being able to sleep, she reflects on the meaning of that word. She had never told Faustus _I love you_ because it was something just so distant from what she actually felt. Not that she hadn’t cared about him, mostly at the beginning. But love? Certainly not. He, on the other hand, used to tell her, sometimes. And it was as clear as daylight that he didn’t feel that. Or better, Zelda couldn’t rely on that great, outstanding sentiment with how Faustus treated her.

History looks like it’s repeating itself, but of course, Zelda wasn’t that stupid. When Mary had told her she and Lyla had kissed, she had felt like it was The Faustus Hera all over again, but it had actually lasted a minute. The pain was caused by pure jealousy, in the first place, and by the betrayal, she had felt, mostly because Zelda had repeated to her tons of times that she wasn’t comfortable with that and that she felt threatened by Lyla. And, in response, Mary had done it all the same. And yet, she wants to believe her. As she’s lying in bed, she desires to have less pride and a little more courage, enough to pick up the phone and call Mary, telling her that she wanted to talk before their dinner, tomorrow night. And yet, she can’t. She’s not that strong, and she knows perfectly well.

If she moves the rage a little, she finds out she misses Mary like crazy. She closes her eyes, trying to recall the feeling of her body pressed against her own. She sighs softly, the images bending behind her closed eyes, Mary’s skin, her heated kisses, as a familiar warmth spread in her lower belly. She gets even more comfortable against the cushions and let her hand slide from her neck down between the valley of her breasts. She misses Mary, in the dark of her room, she misses her soft sighs in her ears. And just in the darkness of her own world, she’s willing to admit it.

Could she…? Masturbation, since Faustus, has become a tricky subject. She did enjoy it, before her marriage, to the point of doing it on a daily basis. Then, something had broken. Could she try again?

_She started with her neck, running her fingers up and down, feeling her skin tingle in response. It’s not quite close to having someone kissing her neck while sliding gentle fingers in her hair, along her scalp, and yet, it worked. Her hand went down her neck, in her valley between her breasts. She paid attention to stop at her sternum and then trailed up again. After a couple of minutes of teasing, she felt her body react and she started craving breast stimulation. As soon as she reached for her breasts, she froze._

She caresses her neck, recalling in her mind the feeling of Mary’s lips on her necks, her hands caressing her hair, the soft _I love you_ s she uses to whisper looking into her eyes. She tries to swallow the nostalgia, focusing on the feeling of them together, of Mary’s words the last time they had made love.

_I want you so much._

_You make me feel so alive._

She slides her hand down her neck and, instinctively, she cupped one breast, nipple immediately standing on point, demanding attention. She hisses, prompt and scared, eyes snapping open. She takes a deep breath and closes them again, picturing Mary kissing her breasts, sucking her nipples, whispering sweet nothings against her skin.

_She cupped her own breasts. She knew they were small, and yet they felt good in her hands, filling her palms perfectly, smooth and supple. And yet she saw his face, his blue eyes darkening. She recalled pushing her chest up against his hands, and how he avoided touching them._

You should leave your push-up on.

Darling, I like fucking your cunt, yet the rest…

His voice merges with Mary’s.

_Take off this gorgeous bra, I want your breasts against mine._

Zelda caressed her nipples, circles them with her fingers, tickling them as her hips instinctively raise, ready to get some friction. She moves her hand from her breasts, down, caressing her belly to reach for her pussy.

Normally, the breasts were where the masturbation stopped, most of the time. That sentiment, so clear in his eyes, the way he actually looked at her, was enough to turn her off.

Right now, she doesn’t think about her small breasts or the supple flesh of her belly. On the contrary, when she caresses her tummy, she thinks of Mary kissing and biting into it. Faustus doesn’t exist anymore, and as she strokes her clit, the only thing she sees is Mary. The only thing she hears is her voice.

_You are pure perfection._

_I won’t change a detail about you._

And when she comes, she can’t roll over and hide her face in Mary’s neck, she can’t feel her hands caressing her back. It’s nowhere near satisfying, and she’s torn between wanting to hear her telling her _I love you_ , being able to say it back, and at the same time, she’s still angry. She doesn’t know how tomorrow is going to go – if they’ll break up or make up or if they’ll end up fucking in the bathroom of the restaurant. But tonight, she knows something: Mary has started to heal her scars. And maybe, just maybe, tomorrow she’ll look at her body in the mirror and she won’t hate her reflex that much.

* * *

“No, Mommy, no leopard printed clothes!” Leticia complains, sitting on Zelda’s vanity and swaying her little legs. “I know you love it lots, but this night is ‘portant.”

Zelda, dressed in just her bra, panties, and garter belt, hair perfectly styled and make-up on point is rummaging in her closet, trying to choose what to wear for the dinner.

She turns to look at her daughter, currently wearing a light blue dress as she licks eagerly at a lollipop. “What do you mean, tonight it’s important?” she selects a shimmery, dark blue blouse: “What about this?”

“Pretty!” Leticia grins. “I love you in blue! ’Brina told me you and Mary are going out to dinner to…” she stops and bites her bottom lip: “Work thing out?” She grins: “I learned a new word! It means you’ll kiss and make up!”

Zelda sighs, placing the blouse on the bed. “I suppose you can say that. If we can work it out. You see, baby, adults don’t just _kiss and make up._ ”

She starts looking at pants and skirts, and Leticia is silent for a while. Then, she asks: “Mommy?”

“Yes, baby.”

“You remember when I stole the chewing gums?”

Zelda drops a pair of pearl grey pants and sighs: “Again with this story, Letty? Yes.”

“You forgave me because you love me, right?”

Zelda smiles at her daughter: “Of course I love you, Girlfriend. You are the best thing in my life. I’ll always, _always forgive_ you.”

Instead of beaming, Leticia is still lost in thoughts. Then, she asks: “Don’t you love Mary, Mommy?”

Silence.

Zelda raises an eyebrow: “Why are you asking me this, Bunny?”

“Because you won’t forgive Mary. And because she always says she loves us, and you never tell her.”

Zelda feels a lump rise in her throat. She shakes her head. She can’t tell the truth to her five-year-old daughter. She can’t explain to Leticia what her _father_ had done to her. She just shrugs: “I love her, sweetie. I do. I just need to…learn how to say it.”

Leticia smiles brightly: “You do it super good with me!”

Zelda leans to kiss her, then they hear Hilda calling from downstair: “Zelda! Letty! Mary’s here!”

“Go ahead, sweetheart, Mommy just needs to get dressed.”

Leticia runs downstairs, and Zelda, feeling more eager than at their actual first date, puts on the grey pants and the blouse Leticia has selected. She would have worn a short skirt and the white boots Mary had gifted her at Christmas, but she is still way too mad to do that. But she cut Mary some slacks, wearing the bracelet and necklace set the brunette and Leticia had chosen together.

When she feels pretty decent, she ventures downstairs and finds them all in the kitchen. Hilda is making tea, and Mary is sitting at the table, Leticia lazily curled up in her arms. Watching her girlfriend – if she could still define Mary that – cuddling her daughter wins her over every time.

“Hello,” she smiles, walking inside, and Mary beams at her: “Hi, sweetie.”

She doesn’t know if she can refer to Mary as _her girlfriend_ , still, but clearly, the brunette had so issue with using pet names.

“Mommy, give Mary a kiss!” Leticia demands, and Zelda, fighting the urge to roll her eyes, bends to kiss Mary’s cheek. She hopes Leticia won’t demand a kiss on the lips, but the little girl just smiles. Zelda has barely the time to take a sit, when Leticia links her arms around the brunette’s neck and says: “Mary, you love my Mommy, right?” she asks, straightforward like she always is.

Mary blushes but nods without backing off. “Of course, I do, sweetie. Very much so.”

Leticia just grins: “I know! Mommy loves you too, you know?”

“Leticia!” Zelda gasps. Has her daughter just told her precarious girlfriend she was in love with her?

“What, Mommy? You said you can’t tell her, I wanted to help!”

She gets up: “Okay, Mary, let’s go or we’ll be late for our reservation.”

Mary kisses Leticia and both of them get up, the little girl going to hug her mother.

“Have fun with Mary, Mommy!”

“Thank you, my love. Be good for Auntie Hildie. I’ll miss you.”

Letty giggles and, like they always do, gives her mother a kiss and Zelda gives her three back.

Before getting in the car, Zelda looks at Mary dead in the eyes: “Mention what Leticia said and I’ll go back inside.”

Mary smirks: “Get in the car, I’m hungry.”

* * *

“Are we going to stay silent the whole drive?” Mary asks at some point. She’s driving, destination: Riverdale and the restaurant they had dined at on their first date. Zelda is sitting next to her, arms crossed on her chest.

“I don’t really know what to say,” she confesses, and for the first time, she isn’t defensive or aggressive. She’s just stating a sentiment.

“Okay,” Mary nods. “Let’s not say anything until you feel ready to.”

The brief moment of complicity right before taking the car has vanished, apparently.

“But we’re out for this purpose,” Zelda argues.

“I’m always happy to spend time with you,” Mary reminds her, squeezing her knee briefly. “And I can’t even begin to tell you how much I miss you.”

Zelda doesn’t reply. Mary places her hand on Zelda’s leg again, this time on her thigh, and comments: “You’ve lost weight.”

Zelda makes an uncommitted sound. Then, she snorts: “You should be happy.”

Mary rolls her eyes: “I’m not. I don’t like when you don’t eat, and I think I’ve made this point very clear.”  
“And I don’t like when you kiss other girls, and even if I haven’t made this point clear, I thought it was implied in the whole girlfriend business.”

Mary rolls her eyes again and bites her bottom lip, avoiding replying. Then, Mary sighs: “Zelda…”

“Yes?”

“I don’t know how to talk to you when you’re like that. And I hate to feel so clingy that I’m dying to know if we’re still together because the mere thought of you leaving…”

Mary pulls over in the parking lot, in front of the restaurant, swallowing a sob.

“I don’t get this,” Zelda exhales, turning to Mary. “You never say _breaking up_ , you always imply that I’m leaving you. Like… I don’t know like I _need_ to. And yet, I know I’ve started talking about breaking up _after_ you kissed Lyla.”

“For the last time, I didn’t kiss her!” Mary says, exasperated. “She kissed me! But it doesn’t matter, because you left me for this, but you would have found another reason!”

She grabs her bag as Zelda grabs her wrist: “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Nothing,” Mary shakes her head, holding back tears. “It doesn’t matter. Drop it. Let’s go eat.”

She gets off the car and Zelda does as well, obviously not dropping it: “I’m not dropping anything, where the fuck are you going? I want an answer!”

She walks quickly to Mary and grabs her arm. “Explain.”

“There is nothing to tell,” Mary shrugs. “You’re having second thoughts about us because of the Lyla thing?”

Zelda rolls her eyes: “Try to walk in my shoes.”

“I’m sorry!” Mary’s almost screaming now, opening her arms. “I’ve never had a friend, okay? I wanted one. Is this so hard to understand? I wanted a friend. I wasn’t looking for anything else because I’ve had from you everything I’ve wanted in a relationship.”

Zelda lits a cigarette and starts smoking, trying to calm down.

“I can understand that,” Zelda nods. “But you’re implying I would have left you anyway.”

Mary shrugs: “I said, drop it.”

“I’m not dropping anything.” And then, out of the blues, she realizes: “You asked me if I was leaving the first time we made love. And the night of your birthday, you woke up panicking because you were sure I was leaving!”

Silence. Mary holds out a hand: “Give me a cigarette, please?”

“You don’t smoke.”

“No, but I would like something to do with my hands.”

“You can do something with your brain and your mouth: reply to this question. Mary, are you convinced that you’ll wake up one morning to find me gone without a word?”

They look at each other for a few minutes, Zelda still waiting. At some point, Mary nods: “Yes. Not consciously. I mean, I don’t think you’re a bitch, of course. It’s just… you know, you’re not the only one who has scars.”

“Yes,” Zelda shrugs. “But I’ve told you, haven’t I? And not cost-free. How can I know what the problem might be if you don’t tell me?”

“I haven’t kissed Lyla,” Mary murmurs again, apparently moving the conversation on another topic. “I don’t want to kiss anyone else. If I was too nice, I’m sorry, but that’s just who I am. If you think I should have listened to you… you’re right, I should have.”

Zelda looks at her for a few moments, embracing her curls, her red lips. She bites her lips so hard she’s afraid she might draw blood.

“I’m not leaving you.”

Mary opens her mouth to say something, but Zelda raises a hand to stop her: “Listen to me.”

As if she’s not able to have this conversation without touching her, Zelda takes a step closer and places a hand on her shoulder, still keeping space between their bodies.

“Even if we break up, I’m not going to do to you what Adam did. I won’t disappear. I’ll give you every explanation you’ll need. We’ll talk about it and whatever it takes, I will never forbid you to see Leticia or Sabrina, okay?”

“What are you trying to say?”  
“I’m trying to say that what Adam did to you _it’s different._ ”

Mary sniffles: “Okay. I get it, now. What you’re saying, I mean.”

“But?”

“Are you breaking up with me?”

Zelda sighs: “I would have done it the night you told me about the kiss.”

Mary raises an eyebrow: “You _did_ it, the night I told you.”

“Because I’m angry! And hurt! And because Faustus had done the same exact thing! He kept telling me he loved me and then I walked on him kissing a slut, and he told me she had kissed him, and then I discovered he was cheating on me.”

Mary sighs and hugs Zelda.

“Let me go, I’m still angry,” Zelda mumbles, and yet, her face is hidden in Mary’s curls.

“Yes, but I needed to feel you. Hug me and shut up, then you can go back to being angry.”


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a hurricane comes a rainbow. Or so, Kary Perry says.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...so?
> 
> Fede bb thanks for the suggestion! love ya.

“Are you going to talk to me, at some point?” Mary asks. She eats the last bit of her shrimps and zucchini pasta and pushes the plate toward Zelda, leading her way to the mushroom sauce spaghetti. At least, despair their doubtful situation, they still share their courses.

“This is good,” she adds, pointing to the pasta she has just tasted.

Zelda silently eats for a few seconds, then nods: “Yes. I seriously love how they cook here. I might want to marry their cook.”

She’s joking? Mary can’t help it, and she grins and smirks: “He’d have to fight me on this. If someone gets to marry you, that should be me.”

Zelda snorts and drinks a sip of wine. Then, she places the glasses on the immaculate tablecloth and says, without looking at Mary: “I don’t think I’ll ever get married again. After Faustus? I’d be crazy.”

Mary feels her heart skip a beat. What the hell –

She had never thought about marriage, actually. Not until now. But the truth is, Mary doesn’t like undefined things and she knows – she has always known, she’s just realizing it right now – that she can’t cope being just a presence, in Zelda and Letty’s lives. It doesn’t matter how important. She wants to marry Zelda and she wants to be Leticia’s mother. She’s ready, but as much as she is, she realizes that Zelda is nowhere near there. Actually, she starts fearing she will never be. She has never said I love you, and it didn’t matter what Letty had declared before dinner. She doesn’t need it to be a tattletale from a five-year-old daughter (even if she loves said five-year-old more than her own life), she needs it to be a confession from her partner. Hell, she doesn’t even know if they’ll survive this dinner.

Suddenly, her stomach feels closed and she doesn’t want to eat anymore.

_Focus, Mary._

She lets the marriage topic drop and sighs, tasting some wine of her own. The conversation is slowly dying, and she wishes she has the courage to slide close to Zelda, to try to hug and kiss her. Instead, she blurts out: “I don’t want to break up with you.”

Okay, well, she might as well explain, at this point. “And don’t because of my abandonment issues.”

Zelda is looking at her, and Mary can’t read anything in her green eyes.

“I don’t want to break up with you because I love you and I don’t know how else I should do to show it to you. Ok, I made a mistake. A big one. And I’m not talking about the kiss, I’m talking about the fact that I should have listened to you. But – Zelda, you changed my life. You and your little girl… you two literally turned my world upside down when you showed up in my office.”

She’s crying right now, tears streaming down her face, and as much as Zelda may be angry, she reaches out and brushes the pad of her thumb over one of those perfectly shaped cheekbones.

“Don’t cry,” she hushes and starts rummaging and purse for a tissue. When she finds it, she gently dabs Mary’s face, careful of not ruining her make up.

“Here,” Zelda smiles, dropping the tissue and caressing her cheek again. “I love your cheekbones,” she says out of the blue, and Mary gasps, definitely not expecting that. She offers a small smile. “I’m sorry, Zee,” she murmurs. “I didn’t want to hurt you.”

Zelda nods: “I know you didn’t. But I don’t want you to say sorry anymore, okay?”

Mary nods and Zelda takes a deep breath: “Lyla apologized as well. And if you guys want to be friends, it’s fine with me.”

Mary gulps again and gasps: “Zelda!” Then, unable to refrain herself, she smiles, and dares ask: “Does this mean you don’t want us to break up anymore?”

Zelda sighs and rolls her eyes: “You should thank your good genes. You’re too cute.”

Mary grins and makes a move to hug the redhead, but Zelda shoves her away. Seeing Mary’s eyes widening, she very briefly squeezes her hand. “I’m sorry, I… I’m still a little hurt and when I feel like this I’m not… I’m not really comfortable with physical contact,” she shrugs, biting her bottom lip, clearly embarrassed. Mary just nods: “It’s okay,” she tells her, even if it clearly isn’t, and Zelda knows it. “Did you want a hug?” she asks.

“A hug, a kiss, possibly even tearing that blouse off you,” she points out, joking, then she breaks off the tension as she laughs. “Seriously, tho. Yes, I just wanted to give you a brief hug.”

Zelda gulps slightly, then she nods tentatively and opens her arms: “Okay,” she nods. Mary is smart enough to act before she can change her mind, and she scoots closer, enveloping Zelda in her arms, sinking her face in her scented red hair, letting out a deep sigh. She feels her girlfriend relax in her arms, even if just a bit, and she dares to move her face to kiss her temple.

“I’ll fix this,” she promises in Zelda’s ear. The redhead moves back and shakes her head: “Mary, no. You made a mistake, okay, we’ve been over this. But the issues we have to go beyond just the episode kiss. We clearly have baggage, and we have to learn how to share.”

She takes a pause, and Mary nods, not speaking back as she feels Zelda is probably going to add something. “Of course, it depends on how deep we want this relationship to go. If it’s just a fling, it’s okay, but if we want something stable…”

Mary looks at her, raising an eyebrow: “Are you joking? A fling? I’m _mad_ about you!”

Zelda rolls her eyes: “It was an example, Mary. My daughter calls you _her Mary_ , it’s pretty obvious that this is not a fling.”

The redhead’s iPhone starts ringing in her purse. “I’m sorry,” she mutters, and she fished it in her Michael Kors. “It’s Hilda. Hildie?” she calls, answering her phone. The first thing she hers is Leticia crying and sobbing desperately.

“Hilda? What happened to Leticia?” she asks, alarmingly, and Mary puts a comforting hand on her wrist, worried as well.

“Zelds, I’m sorry if I’m interrupting your night – Leticia, love, just one second, I’ll let you talk to Mommy really soon.”

“Hilda!”

“It’s nothing, Zelds, she was running, she fell, and she bruised her knee, she even drew a little blood. She’s agitated and she begged me to call you.”

“Put her on the phone.”

“Mommy?” Leticia’s voice hiccups.

“Love of my life, what happened?”

“I fell,” the little girl explains, sobbing. “I need you, Mommy, please, I need you!”

Leticia sobbing and demanding her presence for a bruised knee? This was definitely _not_ like her.

“Okay, okay, baby, let me just talk with your aunt for a second.”

“Zelds?” Hilda’s voice replaces Leticia’s.

“Hildie, you sure it’s just her knee? She’s completely freaking out!”

“I know, I’m surprised as well. I suspect it’s something psychosomatic, but she was crying her little eyes out. I’m sorry to interrupt your night, but…”

“No, no, don’t worry. I’m coming home, okay? Tell Letty I’ll be there in 20. See you later.”

She hangs up, and immediately Mary asks: “What happened?”

“She fell and bruised her knee. She’s going mad because I’m not home with her.”  
“I heard her crying, poor sweet pea…”

“Mary, I’m so sorry, but I have to go.”  
“Of course. Let’s just ask the waiter if we can carry the rest of our dinner with us, so maybe we can finish it later –” she’s pulling on her jacket when she abruptly stops: “Can I come with you?” she asks, remembering that not everything is like it used to be.

Zelda’s eyes are full of tears, a mix of her being worried about Leticia, the terrible week she had, and the fear that Mary and she would really break up. Anyway, she nods sharply, but Mary, always in tune with her, grabs Zelda’s hips and brings her to her, hugging her tightly and kissing her head repeatedly. She wants a real kiss, she wants it _badly_ , but she feels that Zelda is not entirely comfortable with that yet, so she acts as she did at the beginning of their relationship, canalizing her love in cheeks and hair kisses.

“It’s going to be fine,” she whispers in her ear. “Let’s go home to Letty.”

* * *

Their road to Greendale is spent in silence, Mary’s hand never leaving Zelda’s thigh as she drives.

Zelda doesn’t even have time to steep foot into the manor that Leticia is already clinging to her legs, crying quietly.

“My love, what’s up?” she murmurs, bending to picking up her little girl and holding her close to her chest.

“Mommy,” Leticia sobs, then spots Mary behind Zelda, and she smiles a little: “Mary!”

“Hello, sweet pea.”

Even if she shows no intention of letting go of her mother, Leticia gives Mary a teary grin, and the brunette dares take a step further, to caress the little girl’s hair.

“Mommy,” Leticia whines and cuddles deeper in Zelda’s arms.

“Do you want to show Mommy your knee?” the redhead asks, but Leticia shakes her head: “No, Auntie Hildie made it all better. I just need you!”

“You have me, my baby,” Zelda murmurs. “Let Mommy put on her PJs so we can cuddle and watch TV, okay?”

She’s about to place the little girl on the ground, but Leticia shakes her head vigorously: “Not down!” and she stretched her arms out toward Mary. “Can Mary sleep here, Mommy? We love Mary and I want her too!”

Wordlessly, Zelda places Leticia in Mary’s arms. She unbuttons her coat, then says: “You should ask her, baby. We can’t force her!”

Leticia looks at Mary with big, glistering eyes: “Mary? Do you want to sleep here? ‘Morrow’s Saturday.”

Mary looks at Zelda, hoping to see some guideline in her eyes, but she’s busy fixing their things around, so the brunette sighs and ventures into the kitchen with the little girl. “I don’t have my PJs, baby.”

“I can give you one of my Harry shirts!”

The three adults laugh, then Mary nods: “Yes, I think I can stay if you guys want me to.”

“We do!” Letty confirms, hugging the brunette tightly. Zelda gathers Letty in her arms again to give Mary some space to remove her coat and drop her bag, and as Hilda puts on some tea, Leticia turns to Mary, and with big, pleading eyes, she asks: “You’re not leaving us no more, right Mary?”

Zelda gasps slightly, and Hilda immediately stops her movements. Mary, under Leticia’s eyes, can’t have any reaction, so she just shakes her head, slowly, and says: “I didn’t leave you guys, Letty. You mom and I just had a little fight, it happens.”

“Yes but I haven’t seen you in forever! Now you’re all make up and you’re still girlfriends, right?”

Mary hesitates a little, then she feels Zelda’s light hand on her hip as she approaches her, still carrying Leticia. The little girl hugs Mary close to them, kisses both women on the cheek, and gladly takes the kisses the two give her back. Then, she put a hand on Mary’s cheek, the other on her mother’s, and pushes their heads close. The two women gently, chastely brush their lips together.

“Girlfriends?” Leticia grins apparently not convinced.

“Girlfriends,” Zelda confirms and makes a big show of rolling her eyes to make the little girl laugh.

Like Hilda had predicted, it had been something psychosomatic for sure. In fact, Letty calms down and stops crying pretty soon. The only result of the incident is how clingy she acts. She refuses to stay away from the both of them if even for a couple of minutes. If one of them goes to the bathroom, or in Zelda’s case to have a cigarette, she clings tightly to the other. She takes residence on Mary’s laps while the two finish their dinner, sharing a bottle of wine, as the little girl picks on something from the plates. When Sabrina comes home and she and Hilda retire for the night, they ask Letty if she wants to go upstairs with them, but Letty shakes her head furiously.

“I wanna go to sleep with Mommy and Mary,” she declares.

Mary and Zelda don’t have another choice. They sing _Viceversa_ – Mary more reproducing sounds than actually singing in Italian – as they wash the dishes and clean the kitchen. Leticia doesn’t go away much, not even to go to the bathroom, and when Mary picks her up on her shoulders, she laughs hard and happy, the knee completely forgotten. She is sated enough and ready to go upstairs just after Zelda dances with her _Be My Baby_ twice, Mary looking and them with tearing eyes, grinning widely. They put on their PJs (Mary borrows one from Zelda, deciding against wearing one of Leticia’s shirts, despite the little girl opening up her drawer so that Mary could choose) and they finally curl in Zelda’s bed, all three of them. Leticia cuddles against Mary’s waist, who is in charge of the reading, and Zelda wraps herself against Leticia’s back, holding the little girl around her waist.

Considering the swing of emotions they had experienced, Zelda and Leticia fall asleep right after Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall leave Harry at the Dursley’s doorstep. Quietly, Mary closes the book and places it on the nightstand, turning on her side and resting her temple on her elbow to look at Zelda and Leticia, sleeping together. They look crushingly cute and she loves them both to pieces, and yet, she knows she’ll know no peace, that night. The week, the fear of losing Zelda, seeing Leticia in such a state, hear Leticia asking her if she was going to leave them… Zelda declaring that she wasn’t going to get married again. Zelda taking a step further and ten back.

It’s all too much.

Slowly, she gets up, careful not to wake them.

Barefoot, she goes downstairs, trying to keep a rational mind and a positive attitude. While the water boils and she selects for herself a relaxing tea bag, she moves her long hair away from her face and starts making a mental list: Leticia was just upset. She isn’t going to leave the little girl, no matter what was going to happen. Even if she and Zelda would break up – and she ignores the thrill down her back at the thought – she’ll find a way to be in Leticia’s life. And Zelda… she is probably in love with her how much as she is with her. She looks at her ring. She just needs time. For everything. And despite everything, she’s more than willing to give it to her. She knows how much it probably had cost, to her, to tell her that she and Lyla could stay friends.

She’s so engrossed in her thoughts that she gasps when she feels two warm hands on her bare shoulders.

“Are you okay?” Zelda murmurs, moving a hand to her waist. She’s warm from the bed, her breath sweet because of the sleep, and Mary feels how much she loves her in every way.

“I’m a little agitated, I couldn’t sleep.”

“I’m sorry,” the redhead whispers, and presses on the crease between her scapulae. “My God, you are so tense. Drink that so we can move to the couch and I can give you a nice massage.”

Mary turns, making sure to still standing close next to her. She nods. “Do you want some tea? It’s supposed to be relaxing. And I’m sorry if I had to stay, but…”

“Shut up and make the tea,” Zelda sighs. “You haven’t imposed, you fool. I’m glad you stayed.”

“I’m glad you’re glad,” Mary giggles, running a hand down her girlfriend’s arm.

“What are you so tense about?” Zelda asks, turning serious immediately.

“Just a bad week,” Mary shrugs, and Zelda leans over to gently and quickly kiss her temple.

They share a smile and drink in silence, looking at each other. Then, Zelda takes Mary’s cup from her hands and put them both in the sink. Then, she turns around and blinks at Mary: “Follow me?”

Mary has no other choices.

Zelda hops down on the couch and fetches a blanket, telling Mary: “Take off your nightie and lie on your back.”

Again, does Mary have another choice? No. She doesn’t. She takes off her clothes, not even trying to hide herself from Zelda’s eyes, and she blushes deliciously when she notices the redhead’s hungry gaze on her breasts and stomach. She would love nothing more than throw everything out of the window and straddle her. She simply can’t, so she does as instructed, lying down on her belly. Gently, Zelda wraps the blanket around her legs and butt and straddles her hips. She rubs her hand against one another in order to warm them, then she starts working on the tenseness between her shoulders. She doesn’t speak, and Mary lets out a strangled moan as Zelda touched a particularly sensitive area. It feels even, and Mary sighs, trying to relax and let go, if just for a moment.

At some point, Zelda lowers and whispers in her ear: “All done.”

Mary feels her breasts brush her back and she moans: “Can I stay like that for one more second?”

“You can,” Zelda allows, and goes quiet again, even if she doesn’t move from her position. She just starts tracing mindless lines on Mary’s back, eliciting a chorus of hums from the brunette. Then, her fingers change patterns and seem to know where to go.

“Are you writing something?” Mary grins, looking at her over her shoulders.

“Who knows?” Zelda smirks, playing innocence.

Zelda traces a long, vertical single line then stops.

“I…” Mary murmurs.

“How clever, Ms. Wardwell,” Zelda snorts. Then, she traces another vertical line, and at the bottom of it, she goes with a smaller, horizontal one.

“L?”

Zelda murmurs something affirmative, then traces something pretty easy to guess: a circle.

“O… This feels so nice.”

A diagonal, vertical line connected with another similar one at the bottom.

“That a V,” Mary nods in the cushion of the couch. “So, Ilo –"

She stops and gasps, and sits up abruptly, turning to Zelda, hair tussled, wide eyes, breasts exposed.

“You aren’t –”

Zelda smiles, a red blush taking over her cheeks.

“You didn’t let me finish,” Zelda points out. Mary lets out a sob and launches herself in Zelda’s arms, kissing her with all the passion she has. Zelda kisses her back, gripping her waist tightly as Mary falls back and Zelda lays on her body, breasts on breasts, lips on lips. Then, Zelda backs off slightly and looks into Mary’s blue eyes. She traces her cheekbone with a single finger, bites down hard on her own lips, but before she can draw blood, she whispers: “I love you.”

Mary breaks down in sobs, hiding her face in her neck, her heart exploding in her chest, and the only thing she can say is: “I love you too, Zelda. I love you too.”


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Working on family dynamics.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took me forever and I'm not satisfied but...enjoy? <3

Mary can’t stop laughing.

She laughs, rolling on her back, her thighs embracing Zelda’s hips as the redhead places kisses on every part of her face she can put her lips on. Mary links her arms around Zelda’s shoulders, still giggling, moving so their lips could meet.

“I presume you’re not mad at me anymore,” Mary sighs, looking into Zelda’s green deep eyes. She takes her face in her hands, tracing her jawline with her thumb.

“I’m trying,” Zelda assures, giving her a small smile “I have a little bit of a pride problem, but I know you’re worth it,” she murmurs, and tilts her head down to kiss her mouth, slow and deep, letting her tongue slip in between her teeth, asking for entrance. Ready, Mary opens her mouth under Zelda’s, feeling herself getting aroused, when they heard little steps down the stairs.

Promptly, Zelda moves so Mary can roll on her belly and she resumed massaging her shoulders: Mary’s nightie is too far away and it’s better if Letty finds them in that position, better than in one that’s clearly going in the direction of sex. Mary's half-naked, but that's not a problem. Nudity is not something she tries to keep Leticia from.

“Mommy?” the little girl appears, hair sticking everywhere, a slight pout in her lips, eyes full of sleep.

“Hey, love, what are you doing up?”

“I wokeded up and you and Mary weren’t with me,” she says, her bottom lips trembling.

“It’s my fault, sweet pea,” Mary explains, pulling herself up a bit. “I wasn’t relaxed enough to sleep and your Mommy is giving me a massage.”

Leticia looks as Zelda bends down to place a kiss on Mary’s freckled shoulder, and murmurs: “Better?”

“Yes, thank you, my love,” Mary hums. Zelda gets up and fetches Mary’s nightie so she can cover herself.

Leticia has a big smirk on her lips. “You’re are really not fighting no more.”

“We aren’t,” Zelda confirms, and they all go back to her room.

The little girl curls against her mother’s belly, currently lying in the middle, Mary finally relaxed next to her, her head on her shoulder.

Zelda caresses Leticia’s hair with one hand and keeps Mary’s in the other.

“Do you have any plan for tomorrow?” she asks her girlfriend.

“No, nothing,” Mary murmurs.

“What do you say if we take a day to ourselves? We can sleep in… have a late breakfast, a morning SPA… and someone’s being begging me to go to the movies to see Frozen II?”

Leticia squeals, thankfully not too loud to wake up her cousin, and literally climbs on Zelda, crawling to kiss her face.

Zelda giggles softly, tickling her sides, then she tries to calm her down: “Now sleep, baby, it’s late.”

It takes Leticia just a couple of minutes to fall asleep, a few more to roll over, cuddling her own Chocolate Frog pillow instead of her mother. Zelda and Mary instinctively turn to each other and Mary places a hand on her face, caressing her lips.

“Are you okay with the program?” Zelda whispers. “I’m afraid it’s a little childish, but she missed you so much.”

“I’ve feared I would never see you two again,” Mary replies, so low Zelda almost doesn’t hear it. “Of course I’m okay with it.”

“You are the most naive girl ever,” Zelda tells her, kissing her thumb. “But I know you’ve meant no harm, I’m sorry I was so rough to you.”

“Let’s never talk about this again,” Mary proposes. “I’m just happy to be with you guys again. But at some point, we have to arrange a night alone because I really need you to tell me what you said earlier while we make love.”

Zelda leans up a bit and kisses her lips: “I can’t wait.”

“Tell me good night in another language, before I forget about our little girl and jump you now.”

“Спокойной ночи, любимая.”

* * *

When they go downstairs, the following morning, even if it’s definitely later than what she’s normally used to, Hilda is still in the kitchen. Leticia is piggy-riding Mary’s back, and they’re laughing and chatting as they come in the room.

“Blessed morning, loves,” greets Hilda.

A chorus of good mornings, and of course, Leticia’s “Hi, Auntie Hildie!” and she jumps from Mary’s back to go receive a whole dose of cuddles from her Auntie.

“Oh, blueberry pancakes, God bless you, Hilda,” Mary smiles, reaching for a plate as Zelda slides down on a chair.

“Coffee, love?”

“Yes, thank you,” Zelda sighs. Her hair is up on a tight bun, face free of make-up. It hasn’t happened in forever to see her so relaxed, so out of control, in some ways, and she has never been more beautiful.

Sabrina shows up, grinning: “Hey, what are we doing?” then she looks at Zelda and frowns: “Auntie Zee, are you okay?”

“Yes, why?”

“You are in your PJs and you’re not wearing any make-up.”

“I’m just relaxing, is it forbidden?”

“No. You just never do that.”

Zelda shrugs: “Well, things change.”

Mary approaches Zelda with a steaming mug of coffee and places a hand on her shoulder, handing her the cup. “Here you go, sweetie” she bends to kiss quickly Zelda’s mouth and whispers – even if everyone clearly hears it: “I love you.”

“Mmh, thank you. I love you too.”

Hilda lets go of the mug she’s holding, but thankfully the cup stumbles on the plates and just some hot liquid splits on the kitchen’s counter. “Holy Mary,” she whispers.

“Crap!” Sabrina exclaims, and Leticia squeals: “Mommy!!!”

Zelda raises her face: “What’s up with you lot?”

“You said I love you to Mary!” Leticia explains, climbing on Zelda’s lap as she starts cutting a pancake.

“Oh, that. Yes, yes I did.”

“I am _so proud_ of you,” Leticia declares, and Zelda felt an imaginary hand squeeze her throat.

* * *

“Here, you missed a spot,” Mary grins, as she applied a little bit of sparkling, black hydrating mask on Leticia’s nose. The little girl grins.

The three of them are in front of the big mirror in the bathroom, applying the mask on their faces, hair combed on the top of their heads.

“How much do we need to keep this thing on?” Leticia grins.

“About fifteen minutes,” Zelda explains, utterly busy filing a nail.

“And what do we do in the meantime?”

“I need to do my nails,” she announces.

“But first we can take a picture,” Mary smirks, and Zelda rolls her eyes: “In these conditions? You’ve lost your mind.”

“Mommy!” Leticia protests. “If you spoil the fun me and Mary are gonna go out ‘lone, tonight.”

“Mary and I,” Zelda sighs.

“No, you stay home, Mommy, ‘cause you’re being mean!”

“We have boundaries issues,” Zelda comments as Mary sits in her robe on the edge of the filling bathtub and Leticia takes place on her knees.

“Come here, Tough Gal, and stop being grumpy.”

“Mary, you should just start calling Mommy _Grumpy_ ,” Leticia points out.

“I’m not that sure I want to come with you guys,” Zelda mutters, taking place next to Mary nonetheless. They hold their face together as the brunette snaps a picture, then Leticia slips away and asks Mary, little hand stretched out: “If you want I can take a picture of you and Mommy. You look pretty like this.”

“Oh, thank you, love! You are the cleverest little girl _ever_ ,” Mary beams, and Zelda wisely decides to avoid expressing her feeling, at least vocally.

“Kiss!” Leticia orders as she takes a few steps back and tries to find the perfect angle for her photo.

The two women turn to each other, legs crossed, robes gracefully exposing naked calves. Mary leans over and places a hand on Zelda’s thigh.

“This is the prettiest pic ever!!!” Leticia exclaims, running to them to show the picture that is, in fact, very beautiful.

“Good job,” Zelda murmurs, moving her face to be kissed by her daughter, who smashes a kiss on the corner of Zelda’s lips, effectively covering her own lips in glitters and sticky little stars from the mask.

“Mommy put bubbles in the tub! Can I get a book?”

“Letty, you become always super excited and end up getting it wet,” Zelda reminds her. “Come here, let me take off the mask.”

Leticia loves peeling off masks, and she sits very still on the edge of the sink as her mother effortlessly performs the task.

Mary has already washed her face. “Get in the tub, I’ll be back in a moment!”

Zelda drops the robe and Leticia, and she gets in the tub, decided on bringing just in a few ducks, too afraid of getting wet her precious Harry Potter. A few seconds later, Mary shows up wearing a leopard-print bathing suit (clearly Zelda’s). They’ve spoken about it. Early that morning, while Letty was still sleeping, sharing a few sleepy kisses. Zelda has sworn that there was no problem with nudity whatsoever, that Leticia would find it strange, that she wears a bathing suit. And of course, when she shows up wearing it, Leticia stops splashing her mother and looks at her with wide eyes: “Mary why you wearing a suit? It’s too cold for the pool!”

“Ah – no, baby, it’s for the tub.”

“Why?” Letty’s eyes are two pools of confusion. “Mommy and me are naked!”

She has a point.

Zelda looks at her, shrugging. She knows the choice is just hers. She smiles at Leticia and gets rid of the suit, slipping in the tub on the opposite side of the tub. Leticia smirks.

“What, sweet pea?”

“Your boobies are _way bigger_ than Mommy’s!”

“Thank you, Leticia,” Zelda sighs as Mary laughs freely, a delicious blush over her cheeks.

Zelda has been right: Leticia doesn’t pay any attention to nudity. They laugh, they play, they splash each other. Leticia and she race in who gets Zelda’s hair wetter, and she screams and complains so loud that at some point Hilda shows up to see what’s happening, and the three of them – _Zelda too!_ – splash her.

The bathroom is a mess, but it doesn’t matter: they clean it up in their underwear, singing _Let it go_ over and over, completely off-key (well, not Zelda, of course.)

That afternoon, Hilda goes to work, and they promise to visit her after their movie, and Sabrina goes to visit Harvey. They opt for a movie, and of course, halfway through it, worn out by the bath, Leticia falls asleep on the couch.

“We need some coffee,” Mary comments, as Zelda scoots closer and places a kiss on her jawline.

“I need a beer,” Zelda corrects, and as she moves her head, their lips meet and Mary moans softly on her mouth. Zelda bites down on her lip, Mary’s mouth unfolds, and tongues embraces, the brunette’s hand going to cup the back of her girlfriend’s neck.

The way Zelda is kissing her – slow, languid, vibrantly – is making Mary lose control, slowly but steadily, so she gently breaks the heated kiss: “Go make some coffee, will you, sweetheart? I’m going to check my phone, I’ve ignored it since yesterday.”

Mary doesn’t care one bit about her phone, but she needs to put some space between herself and her girlfriend, whose sex-appeal, after the love declaration, is up to a whole new level. And of course, she won’t even risk jumping her with Leticia next to them. So, phone and walking for a bit.

She goes upstairs, takes a quick stop to the bathroom, puts a bit of cream on her hands (the lavender scent always relaxes her), and goes to Zelda’s room to check her phone. She has a few messages from different colleagues, including Lyla and Mrs. Meeks, inviting her to have a drink after dinner. She writes Lyla a quick reply: _Sorry – taking Letty to see Frozen2! But please go. They’re nice, you’ll have fun. Xx._

She just has time to place the phone back into her purse that she feels a pair of arms engulfing her midriff, a familiar, loved scent filling her nostrils.

“Coffee done?”

“Your coffee is done, don’t worry. I just realized I was craving something else…”

Quickly, the redhead lowers Mary’s leggings.

“Leticia?”

“Asleep,” Zelda murmurs, biting down where her neck meets her shoulder. Her hands are everywhere, one caressing her chest, the other one already stroking between her thighs, over the damp panties.

“You can’t believe how much I need to have you,” Zelda murmurs in her ear, slipping her fingers under her underwear as she starts circling her clit.

Mary is already in another word, eyes closed, head resting back against Zelda’s shoulder.

“Let’s see how long it takes for you to come,” the redhead whispers, and gently pushes two fingers inside her vagina, fucking her steadily.

“You’re mine,” she remembers her, and with the hand not busy in her cunt, she moves her face so she can kiss her on the mouth.

“Yours,” Mary confirms a strangled moan.

“I love you,” Zelda whispers, and it doesn’t matter how much it still costs her to say it loudly, she knows Mary needs to hear it, now. A few tears escape Mary’s eyes as Zelda increases the speed of her fingers and the brunette came, an orgasm quick but so utterly satisfying. Zelda fucks her until she’s completely spent, slowly and gently, kissing her temple and her cheek.

Mary takes a few seconds to recover, then turns quickly and grabs Zelda’s hips, kissing her forcefully and pushing her toward the bed, murmuring on her mouth: “I want to eat you until you scream,” but as soon as Zelda’s back hits the soft duvet, a little voice is heard: “Mommy! Mary! Where are you? I’m ‘wake!”

“Little clit-blocker,” Zelda mutters. 

* * *

Despite the relaxing but full day, when they exit the theater, Mary and Zelda are possibly more tired than Leticia. The child is overexcited, non-stop commenting on the movie as they stroll to Dr. Cee’s, singing _Into the Unknown_ , the main song, repeating over and over the only line she remembers (which is, clearly, _into the unknown_ ). A few steps from the shop, she stops and stretched her arms out to Mary.

“Leticia, you’re five, you learned how to walk four years ago,” Zelda complains.

“But I want to cuddle!”

“You’ll cuddle with Mary as soon as we’re settled down inside.”

Mary looks from Leticia’s pleading eyes to Zelda’s stern gaze, unsure about what she’s supposed to do. Thankfully, the little girl drops it and they walk into the shop, immediately greeted by Hilda, who’s fixing books next to the front door.

“Auntie Hildie!” Leticia exclaims as she hasn’t seen the woman in years.

“Hello, there, my love,” the blonde smiles, bending to kiss her niece. “How was the movie?”  
“Spectacular!” Leticia declares, then goes back to Mary and opens her arms again, pointing out to her mother: “We’re inside!”

“Do you guys want to sit at the counter, or would you rather have a table?” Hilda asks, but Zelda doesn’t have the time to reply, because a voice behind them calls: “Ms. Wardwell! Hey, Ms. Wardwell!”, followed by a couple of: “Hey, Mary’s here!”

They turn around and spot a little table with a few people, and Zelda recognizes a lady she knows is Mary’s secretary (even if she can’t remember the woman’s name to save her life), dear Lyla (she had indeed missed her), and a few other people, one of which is probably Sabrina’s math teacher, but she’s not that sure.

“Hello!” Mary exclaims, and carrying Leticia to her hip, she approaches the table. “How are you guys?”

“We were wondering where _you_ were,” points out one of the lit teachers, one Mary likes the most, but both Lyla and Mrs. Meeks practically purr: “Hey, Leticia, sweetheart!” and Lyla reaches over to tickle Letty’s calf.

Letty, never shy, grins: “Hi Lyla! Hi Mrs. Meeks!” then looks at Mary: “Who’s all these people, Mary?”

“My colleagues,” Mary explains, and pointing one by one, she offers Leticia their names.

“And who’s this little lady?” asks the chemistry teacher. Old, boring, and definitely not a great company.

“I’m Leticia Zelda Spellman!” Letty offers, then asks, upfront exactly like her mother: “Are you Sabrina’s teacher?”

“Most of us are, yes,” replies the lit teacher. “You are her cousin, right?” she smiles. “She often speaks about you.”

Leticia grins again, then the chemistry teacher, who is definitely not known for his manners, asks: “What I’m trying to catch, here, is what are you doing here yourself, Mary.”

They’ve known each other since forever, so he still calls her Mary, like most of them do.

“Getting a milkshake!” Leticia exclaims. Then she looks at Mary: “Where’s Mommy?”

“I was wondering that myself.” She turns to look and spots Zelda, still talking to her sister. “Zelda?” she calls. “Can you come over for a second?”

Zelda says something to Hilda then walks toward them, perfect legs showing off, hips swaying, fiery red curls. She knows how the Spanish teacher must be looking at her – he has a soft spot for redheads – and can’t help but feels extremely proud.

When Zelda is near enough, she wraps one of her arms around her waist and announces: “Zelda, these are a few of my colleagues.”

“Hello,” Zelda politely greets. Then, to start with the right feet, she smiles at Lyla, trying the best she can to not sound sarcastic and to not notice how pretty the girl looks. “Hey, Lyla.”

“Hi, Zelda, how are you?”

“Everyone, this is Zelda Spellman, my partner.”

Leticia frowns: “Mary, Mommy is not your pat – par – I mean, Mary, Mommy is your girlfriend!”

Everyone laughs loudly, confirming once again that Leticia can definitely win anyone over.

They ask them to sit with them, but Mary refuses: they take a quick milkshake, then bring Leticia home.

For two weeks, Mary Wardwell dating Sabrina Spellman’s aunt, with a child, is the main topic chatted at Baxter High.

It’s late, and Leticia is sleeping, this time in her bed.

Zelda has asked Mary to stay over, but she’s refused, not wanting it to become a habit this quickly, for both Leticia and Sabrina’s sake, as much as it’s hard.

They’re kissing at the front door when Mary looks into Zelda’s eyes and tells her: “You know what I was thinking?”

“What?”

“Can you take a few days off work?”

“For what?” Zelda frowns.

“A family vacation? Something quick. Me, you, and Letty. In California is nice and warm, now. We can work on our issues and… try to build a bond. With Leticia.”

Zelda looks at her intendedly. “As much as I like the idea, what do you mean, a bond? You and Leticia already have one.”

“I know we do. But I was speaking about family dynamics. I – I want to be part of your lives, Zelda. At any term you choose, but I want to be there. So? What do you say?”

Zelda grins: “I say that my bikini looked really good on you.”


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary buys a lot of things for Leticia on the occasion of their trip, and one for Zelda as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My best friend was having a very crappy day so I thought I'd give her and you guys this very cute - tell me if too mushy lol - chapter.
> 
> I hope you don't mind another chapter so soon and that it's decent. A little shorter than usual, I'm sorry but I'm tired as fuck and tomorrow I'm back to work. Ugh. I also hope I'm not posting too often but like always, feel free to tell me what you think in the comments section. I love hearing your voices <3

“Look if you’re not the perfect little traveler,” Mary chirps, adjusting Leticia’s sweatshirt. “Do you have a t-shirt under this?"

“Yes,” the little girl nods. “You told me it’s pretty hot in Cali!” 

“That’s my good girl,” Mary murmurs, kissing her nose. “Do you have everything we got?”

Leticia nods again. “Baby Yoda blanket for the plane, my Frozen Manga, the little light for reading, and the sunglasses,” she obediently lists.

“The bathing suit and the bag we got for the beach?”

“Mommy packed those,” Leticia grins, then she grimaces: “She wasn’t happy. She says you ‘poil me.”

Mary has brought Leticia with her to run a few errands pre-vacations, and of course, she has gotten a little carried away in things she _has thought_ the little girl needed. When Zelda has seen it all, she has rolled her eyes, and Mary has for the first time pointed out that she was allowed to spoil _her_ little girl, once in a while, if she felt like it. The light in Zelda’s eyes, at the sentence, has been something Mary would never forget.

Mary is checking the content of her own purse, when Leticia approaches her again, dragging the Harry Potter backpack Hilda had gifted her for her birthday. They’re in the cottage, getting ready to leave: the Uber they’d booked is supposed to arrive in forty minutes.

“Mary?”

“Yes, sweet pea?”

“We have a huge problem.”

“Which problem?”

“At three we’ll be on the plane, right? I have my snack at that time, and we didn’t pack anything,” and she shows Mary her open backpack, indeed food and drinks free.

Mary giggles: “That’s because you can’t do the check-in with food or drinks, but I’ll buy you something really good, okay? And I’ve packed your favorite chamomile tea, so I can make it to you while we’re in California, how does it sound?”

Leticia drops the backpack and throws herself in Mary’s arms. The brunette picks her up and makes her swirl around, Leticia laughing hard and loud. Then, she hugs her tightly and whispers in her ear: “Can I tell you a secret, Mary?”

“You can tell me anything, darling.”

“You’re my favorite person in the world. Right after my Mommy.”

There’s nothing Mary can do to stop the tears running down her cheeks, and when she moves a little, Leticia looks at her puzzled: “Why you crying?” she asks, wiping a single tear with one of her little thumbs.

“Because I love you so much, Leticia.”

The little girl smirks, in a way that is so purely her mother’s. “I love you too, silly Mary. No need to cry!”

“Mary, sweetheart, what –”

Zelda stops at the bottom of the stairs. She’s carrying her bag, and a large trolley, and an oversized beauty-case, wearing the most relaxing outfit Mary has ever seen on her: a pair of white jeans, leopard-printed sneakers, and a black button-up. She looks, of course, good enough to eat, a small amount of make-up on her eyes and red lipstick, hair up in a bun.

“Why are you crying?” she frowns.

“Nothing,” Mary smiles. “A moment of cuddles. What do you need?”

“I look _enormous_ in those white jeans. I told you they were a bad idea.”

Mary gulps: the jeans hug Zelda’s soft hips and her pretty round butt in just the _loveliest_ way, and she’s trying to find a way to phrase it so Leticia can also hear it, but the little girl precedes her: “Mommy, no! You look pretty!”

Zelda raises her head, unsure, and seeks Mary’s approval: “Do I?”

Mary just nods.

“You’re not sure, aren’t you?”

“Little ears,” Mary says through gritted teeth with a smile, then smirks at her girlfriend: “I like them. Positive.”

_I’d like even more to rip them off you._

“Love, what’s with the gigantic beauty?”

“It’s my make-up,” Zelda shrugs.

“Your make-up? I’ve packed my foundation, my powder, my mascara, and a couple of lipsticks.”

Zelda looks at her as if she’s gone mad. “You’re crazy. We’re spending a week in Malibu, half-an-hour from Los Angeles, of course, I packed my best clothes.”

“Except I plan on keeping you in your bathing suit and make-up free all week long.”

Zelda is about to reply, but Mary looks at the watch: “Okay, we better hurry. Do we have everything we need? Leticia, the books’ bag?”

“On the couch,” the little girl promptly says, pointing to a leather drawstring bag. “But do we have enough to read?”

“I’m not sure about that,” Mary sighs. “I have a couple and my Kindle, and you?"

“The manga, and the two you bought me yesterday.”

“ _You bought her more books?_ ” Zelda roars, but no one pays attention to her. Leticia sighs: “It’s just sad I won’t have Harry.”

Zelda quickly withdraws her phone from her jeans pocket and types a text to her sister: _try to guess what we’re doing. The uber is practically outside waiting and my girlfriend and my daughter are doing statics to check if they have enough books for a week. Spoiler: it’s the same amount normal people read in a month._

The reply is immediate, a couple of dozen emoji laughing with tears, and Mary says to Letty: “But of course I downloaded all seven of them on my Kindle.” The little girl jumps in her arms again, squealing: “Mary, you’re my favorite person in the whole, whole wide world!”

“I’ve been overrun, how nice,” Zelda comments, then the Uber honks right outside the cottage.

* * *

“Would you like a glass of champagne, ladies?” the Stewart asks, gently approaching their sits. Leticia is napping next to the window, curled under her blanket. She had been disappointed because she has realized she couldn’t bring her Chocolate Frog on the plane. Of course, Mary has compensated with a ridiculously cute stuffed unicorn at the airport duty-free, which the little girl was currently hugging.

When the hostess approaches, Zelda is just complaining about that.

“Yes, thank you,” Zelda smiles, and he smirks.

“How nice to have a girlfriend so gorgeous everyone hits on her,” Mary comments, rolling her eyes.

“You’re paranoid,” Zelda shrugs, then goes on with her remonstrance: “You spoil that little girl too much. I won’t even begin to count the money you’ve spent on her in the last two days.”

“I do it with pleasure,” Mary whispers, scooting closer to her and taking her hand. “I love her, and I love you, and I love to spoil her. I’ve been alone for so long; you can’t believe the joy you give me every day.”

Zelda sighs, and with the customary annoyed way properly hers, she furtively dries a tear. “Yes, but she’s five and children get used to this kind of thing.”

The Stewart comes back with their drinks, and Mary is silent for a few seconds. Then, she reaches for her purse and starts rummaging inside.

“What are you looking for?"

“Something you’ll scream at me for some more,” Mary giggles, taking from the purse a small, black velvet box.

Zelda’s face loses the little color it normally has. “Mary, what –”

“Hear me out,” Mary smiles. “I know I’ve bought you stuff,” she reasons, pointing to the smartwatch Zelda is currently wearing. “But I have the necklace and the ring, and I just thought you had nothing to… I don’t know how to say it, nothing that symbolizes our status. Because at least I decided I want just women, but you’re dangerous on both sides. And too stunning for your own good. And _my own_ , I suppose.”

Zelda laughs, softly and throatily, and leans over to kiss Mary on the mouth repeatedly. “You’re an idiot,” she comments.

“I may even be, and yet you love me.”

“I do,” Zelda rolls her eyes. “So? What did you get me?”

Mary passes her the box and Zelda snaps it open, a small gasp leaving her mouth.

“I wanted to give it to you on a special occasion, maybe on the beach, at sunset –”

“Mary, I’m not the main character of a Nicholas Sparks movie,” Zelda groans.

“And I don’t read Nicholas Sparks!” Mary gasps. “Try not to insult me.”

“I’m joking,” Zelda smiles. “And this occasion is as perfect as any other.”

Mary nods: she knows how hard it is, for her, to express feelings out loud, so she says what she hopes it’s true for the both of them. “Because since that day, you know, the day Sabrina failed her history test and you came to my office… since that day, my life is a whole new, perfect occasion.”

Zelda smiles widely, eyes teary.

“So? Do you like it? ”

It _is_ a ring, of course. A delicate rose gold ring, made of a single band, with three little zircons.

Zelda nods tentatively.

“It’s not an engagement ring or anything like that,” Mary explains, caressing her hair, seeing the fear in her face. “It’s just a ring. Like the one you got me. Okay?”

Finally, Zelda raises her face, and their eyes meet. “Mary, it’s lovely. It’s amazing and – you shouldn’t have. But…”

That _but_ makes Mary’s heart beats fast, panic starting to rise in her chest. Has she done something wrong? She starts talking really fast: “I’m sorry if you feel pressured, that wasn’t my intention, I swear, I just wanted – you know, after Lyla, I needed you to know how much yours I feel, and –”

“Mary!” Zelda stops her. “Can you please calm down and let me speak?”

Mary nods.

“I know what your intentions were. Don’t worry, okay? I love the ring and I was the first one to buy you one, so I’m fine with it. You are the first person in almost forty years of life to whom I said _I love you_ and you are the only one, with my sister, to know about my scars. A part of them, at least. It’s okay. I just… I love having you with me and I hope you’ll want to be here even if I’m such a difficult person to live with.”

“I love you exactly how you are,” Mary murmurs, leaning closer to softly kiss her lips under the shocked eyes of the passing-by Stewart. “Even if you hate when I say it. But I feel a _but_ in there, somewhere?”

Zelda nods: “Please, can we… Can we just take our time? Enjoy our vacation, our time with Leticia, working on that bonding you were talking about.”

Mary nods: “I have all the time in the world. You don’t have to worry about that, because… well, there would never be another one like you. Never.”

Is Zelda the one getting close for a kiss, this time.

“Do you want me to tread your ring for a necklace or a bracelet? I can buy you one in a few months?”

Zelda holds up her left hand: “Put a ring on it,” she smirks.

As soon as Mary has slipped the ring on Zelda’s ring finger, Leticia woke up.

“What are you doing?” she yawns, slipping on Mary’s lap.

“Just talking,” Zelda explains, raising her left hand to tickle Leticia under her chin.

“Mommy!!!” she gasps. “You have such a pretty ring!”

“You like it, baby girl? Mary gave it to me.” Then, she winces: “You’re not the only one she buys things for!”

Leticia grins: “We love Mary,” she states. Then, she gulps: “But I didn’t mean because you buy us pretty things, Mary!”

* * *

The house is fantastic. There is no other way to put it.

Zelda has been the one booking it, they had decided a house was the most suitable solution, instead of a hotel, considering the length of their stay. Plus, Zelda herself had pointed out that the house had a pretty little pink room with a view of the ocean, so Leticia would probably want to sleep in it. If they would have stayed in a hotel, Leticia would have wanted to sleep with them, and Zelda wasn’t ready to spend a week without having sex with her gorgeous, sweet, blue-eyed girlfriend.

Okay, to be honest, Zelda is _beyond_ excited. Not that she would tell a soul – but she is. Definitely. For the trip, of course, for how everything turned out after the Lyla accident. But, most of all, she is because, for the first time in almost six months of their relationship, she is going to sleep with Mary for a whole week. Side by side, in the same bed. Falling asleep with her head on her full breasts, waking her up kissing from her neck to her belly, rolling over in the middle of the night to find her warm body next to her.

Again: she isn’t going to tell a living soul, now or never, but she finds it utter bliss.

When they arrive, the surprise is bigger: everything is even prettier than it has been in the pictures. It’s a small, white, and light blue house, with a big kitchen and a comfortable parlor, the front wall made of big windows facing the ocean. Upstairs, two adorable rooms, a big porch with a table to eat outside, and a little ladder connecting the house to the beach.

It’s Heaven on Earth.

Zelda knows her daughter well, nothing to say: as soon as they take a little tour, she spots the pink room and she _loses it_. She declares that she likes this room more than the one she has at home and tells her mother and Mary that they can go unpack in _their_ room while she _settles in_. And, this said, she places her unicorn on the bed and the Frozen Manga on the little nightstand.

“Is that my daughter?” Zelda whispers as they move their luggage in the master bedroom, which has another fantastic window. “Sometimes she acts like she’s an old lady straight out of an Austen book!”

Mary isn’t listening. She lays down on the bed and gestures to Zelda to do the same.

“Mary, I have to unpack, to shower, and to get myself and a little girl ready for dinner.”

“Come down here for a second,” she says, rolling on her side and looking at her in a way that makes Zelda equally wet in her panties and warm in her chest.

Of course, she obliges.

She gets rid of her sneakers and lays down next to her. Mary scoots closer and nuzzles her face in her neck. “Look,” she just murmurs.

From their bed they have a stunning view of the beach and the ocean, the sun a low golden ball almost brushing over the waves.

Her life is shifting. She isn’t anymore the stern single-mother spinster running a mortuary with a failed and abusive marriage in her past. She is a woman, still young, still worth loving, with a funny, loving, smart, kind daughter and a great woman, passionate, kind, successful, who simply adores her.

Zelda looks into Mary’s eyes, moving her hair from her forehead: “You are so beautiful,” she whispers. “You are so stunning you take my breath away every time I look at you.”

“You are the beautiful one,” Mary whispers. “And I just want to heal your scars.”

“And I want you to believe that you’ll never wake up one day to find me gone. Actually, you’ll have to push me away at some point.”

They laugh, they kiss, they roll in the bed kissing and smiling at each other, until Leticia comes into the room and squeals, jumping right in.

Maybe just for today, maybe just for that week – life was perfect.


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leticia is in a mood. Cuteness, sensuality, issues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is slightly longer and I really, REALLY hope you like it. Something is going on. Also, hope you all still like it and interesting in what's to come.

“Oh my God, _mmmh_ , yes!” Zelda breathes, arching her back. “Fuck me harder, Mary, fuck me so hard!”

She cups her own breasts and grinding her pelvis harder against Mary’s face. The brunette moans in return, hands gripping Zelda’s butt-cheeks so strongly she’s afraid they would bruise. It doesn’t matter. They’re both far too gone to understand, Mary’s nose brushing over and over Zelda’s clit as she eagerly laps at her folds and her entrance.

“Ohmygodohmygod,” Zelda whines, wetting Mary’s face even more as the brunette’s legs fall unconsciously open, bothered and wet beyond all measure.

It’s the middle of the night in their precarious bedroom in California, Leticia asleep in the next room, the ocean singing its lullaby outside the big windows. The moonlight shines on Zelda’s skin, kissing its matching color, and they’re finally alone in their private Heaven.

Out of the blue, Zelda moves her pussy from Mary’s face and turns around, sitting down on her partner’s face again. The brunette keeps on licking as Zelda bends forward as much as she can, burying her face in Mary’s sex as well.

They’re as close as they could possibly be, breasts against bellies, skin on skin, mouths eating, sucking, drinking, feasting.

“ _Mmmh_ ” – the brunette’s moan echoes against Zelda’s labia as she slaps the redhead's plump ass. Zelda moves her face from Mary’s center just to grin: “Bitch,” and biting softly her inner thigh.

Mary kisses all over Zelda’s pussy, and: “Minx,” she gives back.

“Jesus Christ, I love you,” Zelda mumbles in her sex, and they stay like this, giving and receiving, loving and being loved in return.

* * *

Zelda opens her eyes in the room full of sun, and the first thing she sees is the ocean, waves rolling on white sands, the beach empty. She feel’s Mary’s body pressed up against her back, her arms slung around her midriff, her breath rhythmical against the back of her own neck.

Mary’s body is naked and warm against hers, and she definitely would love to wake her girlfriend up with a series of love bites up and down her chest, possibly followed by a heated session of lovemaking (she still shivers if she thinks about how hard she’d rode Mary’s face, a few hours before), but she’s very well aware that she has a little girl in the house. Apparently, Leticia is under the (mistaken) conviction that the current vacation is entirely about her.

Zelda glances at the clock, and when she notices that it’s almost time for Leticia to get up, she slides out of bed, and looks for the last time at the sleeping beauty in her bed, chest rising and falling contently. She feels jealous. She quickly puts on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts and reluctantly drags herself to the kitchen to make her girls breakfast.

She makes some coffee, singing softly, then she fries some bacon and eggs when she hears little steps descending the stairs, and Leticia calling: “Mommy?”  
Zelda turns around and grins at her little rascal. “Morning, my love!”

Leticia hugs Zelda’s legs, eyes still closed, and Zelda manages to caress her head as she pays attention to the eggs. Leticia scrunches her little nose: “Mommy you cooking?”

“Yes, sweetheart, I’m making breakfast for you and Mary.”

“But you can’t cook, Mommy,” Leticia argues. “How are we going to do now for food? Auntie Hildie is at home.”

“I can manage eggs and bacon, Leticia. Set the table, please, and I promise I’ll leave the main meals to Mary.”

“Oh, right!” Leticia exclaims, grinning widely. “Mary is really good at cooking!”

“ _Zelda_!” a voice calls from the other side of the house, sounding slightly panicked. Zelda frowns and removes the eggs from the stove, passing a plate to Leticia as Mary calls again: “Zelda!”

“I’ll be back in a sec,” she tells the little girl before running upstairs to find Mary sitting in the middle of their bed, eyes wide, panicked expression.

“Mary, what’s up?” she asks, hopping down on the bed next to her and instinctively reaching to squeeze her arm.

“Where were you?” Mary asks, slightly out of breath.

“Downstairs, making breakfast.”

“You don’t cook, and you weren’t here when I woke up.”

Zelda rolls her eyes: “You too? Like I told the little monster, I can manage eggs and bacon, thank you very much. And again, I wasn’t here because I was making breakfast, I was downstairs, what’s the matter?”

She’s starting to feel annoyed but one look at Mary’s face makes her realize what may be the problem.

“Mary,” she sighs, reaching out to hug her close. “It’s not like that. You can’t expect me to always wait for you to wake up, I mean, I have a demoness to manage…”

Mary chuckles: “Yes, I know, and I’m sorry, but I’ve slept so well and I feel so relaxed I’m afraid my defenses have gone down and –”  
“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Zelda whispers while caressing her hair. “I’m here, everything is fine.”

Mary smiles and murmurs: “I’m sorry, love,” and reaches to wrap her arms around Zelda, her mouth immediately covering the redhead’s, moaning softly when she feels Zelda’s tongue gently asking for permission.

“Mommy! Mary!” Leticia protests, appearing at the door.

Zelda moves her face from Mary’s and grins at Leticia: “Yes, baby?”

“You are _always_ kissing!” she complains. “And the eggs are cold!”

“We aren’t always kissing,” Zelda sighs. “We were just saying good morning, is it forbidden?”

She climbs on the bed and scoots in between the two women, eyes begging Mary for a kiss.

“Do I have to remember that up to the previous week you were complaining that we didn’t kiss anymore?” Zelda reminds her, but Letty promptly ignores her.  
“What do you say if we go out for breakfast?” Mary proposes, kissing Leticia on her nose. “It’s my fault if your eggs went bad.”

“They weren’t good anyway,” the little girl sighs. “Mommy can’t cook.”

“The next time I’ll let you starve to death” Zelda sighs, standing up. “I’m going to get dressed, then we can discuss your manners, young lady.”

“Me too!” the little girl exclaims and runs out of the room, specifically ignoring the threatening.

Zelda hides in the bathroom, as she’s brushing her teeth as Mary knocks at the door. “Zelda, sweetheart? Can I come in?”

She can’t speak because her mouth is full of toothpaste and water, but she reaches to open the door.

Mary comes in blushes a little: “I’m sorry, sweetie, but I have to pee really bad, can I do it while you brush your teeth?”

Zelda splits in the sink and looks at her as if she’s crazy: “You ask me this like I haven’t licked the hell out of that pussy, last night,” she states, rolling her eyes. Mary giggles and goes to the toilette to take care of her business, then she approaches Zelda, washes her hands, and then takes her in her arms.

“What’s up my love?” she murmurs, kissing the spot where Zelda’s shoulder meets her neck. “You seem nervous. It’s because of how I woke up?”

“No, of course not, sweetie,” Zelda murmurs, turning slightly to kiss her mouth. “It’s Leticia. I know she’s great but sometimes she gets those days where she demands all the attention on her, she’s really picky and complains about everything and I swear, as much as I love her, I just want to strangle her.”

Mary giggles and hugs Zelda close, kissing her hairline down to her jawline. “I think it’s normal, you know? You’re both human and she’s a little girl, and you’re not a bad mother if sometimes you are on your last nerve with her.”

Zelda sighs and buries her face in Mary’s chest, as the brunette caresses her hair and her back.

“We can handle her,” she promises, kissing her hair. “You’re not alone anymore, you know?”

At this, Zelda raises her head and just looks at her until she asks: “Kiss me?”

Mary kisses her passionately, immediately opening her mouth so Zelda can caress her tongue with hers, moaning against her mouth.

Mary caresses her hips, going down to cup both her butt-cheeks to have their centers brush together.

Zelda reaches up to cup one of Mary’s breasts, and finding her without her bra, she pinches the hard nipple. Mary moans and – “Mommy!” Leticia cries, knocking at the door. “You’re taking forever in the bathroom! Are you kissing again?”

The two break apart and Zelda roars: “One second! Can I have one damn second in the bathroom?”

“You said a bad word!” Leticia scolds, then they hear the sound of her little feet, running away.

Zelda turns to Mary: “I’m telling you for the next vacation: either we have another monster, or we leave her with my sister!” and she leaves.

Mary stays there, stunned.

* * *

Despite the rough start, the rest of the day is a dream.

The breakfast turns into an early lunch on a bench on the promenade, with an enormous slice of pizza each, dripping mozzarella on every side, and a gallon of Coke (read _of beer_ in Zelda’s case). Leticia is grinning and eating and asking questions non-stop.

There’s a great sun, and Mary has bought a nice _Malibu_ hat for Leticia, who’s also sporting the pair of sunglasses they had gotten in Greendale and has mozzarella down her chin. Mary wipes it and brushes her nose with Letty’s. She blinks at the little girl and gestures to Zelda with her head: “Look at her…the real mozzarella of the situation.”

“I hate you, Wardwell. Karma’s going to bite your sexy ass.”

Leticia doesn’t even comment on the bad word, she’s too busy laughing.

Zelda is hiding under a big straw hat and a pair of big sunglasses, and she’s extremely jealous of the pretty golden color Mary’s skin already has, while she’s in constant danger of a third-degree burn.

A little dog approaches them barking softly, followed by a nice-looking woman, around Zelda and Mary’s age. Leticia wants to touch the dog, cooing: “Puppy!” but Mary puts her hands on her shoulders, and says sweetly: “Wait, sweet pea, we have to ask the lady if you can touch him,” while Zelda groans a simple “ _Leticia_!”

“Of course, you can touch him, sweetness,” the lady smiles. “His name is Lucky.”

Leticia bends to tickle the dog’s head grinning widely: “Mommy, I want a puppy!”

“No, Leticia, you already have two cousins,” Zelda flatly replies, lightening a cigarette. Leticia, smarter than what her mother would have given her credit for, looks up at Mary in an adorable way: “Can we get a puppy? Pretty please? I’ll let you and Mommy kiss forever! And never ‘plain!”

Everyone bursts out laughing, including Zelda, and the lady calls back her dog, commenting: “You are such a pretty family!” Then, to Leticia: “You are so lucky to have two beautiful and sweet mommies!”

Zelda almost chokes on her pizza, Mary blushes, but Leticia just grins and says: “Thank you!”

When she goes away, she sighs: “I still want a doggie.”

* * *

The “I want a dog” mantra is appeased by the big ice cream Mary gets her and by the bikes renting, a situation in which Leticia puts her little hands on her hips and demands to ride with Mary, in a pose so utterly Zelda that Mary feels her heart whoosh with love. She picks up the little girl and washes her little face with kisses, picking her up to settle her in the backseat of the bike.

“The next time you can go away for a weekend alone,” Zelda complains, rolling her eyes. “So I don’t disturb your precious alone time. Since she’s _your Mary_.”

Mary looks at Leticia: “Is she always complaining?”

“Always,” Leticia shrugs. “C’mon, I wanna ride and I wanna swim!”

“At your commands, Your Grace,” Zelda mutters.

Leticia is challenging, Zelda is as moody as ever, but Mary is having the time of her life. This is what she wants if she thinks about the future, her and Zelda on a sunny afternoon, Leticia with them – perfection would include another child, maybe a little boy. Zelda is the love of her life, and even if it’s something she’s known for a while, every time she thinks of it, she feels her heart swell. She has never experienced a love like this. Never before. And the little girl has a point: after the big pizza, the even bigger ice cream, and the bike ride, laying on the beach with a book sounds like heaven.

Except, it’s not exactly what she has pictured. At first, the three of them lie down on the sand with their sunglasses and their books, but there’s just a teeny-tiny little problem: Zelda is next to her, wearing the infamous leopard print bikini, which looks small on her, barely decent. At some point, Zelda turns to Mary and grins at her, smile bright under her hat and sunglasses, breasts deliciously displayed by the minuscule top, and Mary feels disturbingly hot. She abruptly gets up: “I’m going to… put my feet in the water,” she announces, and indeed the cold water helps, even if her brains play over and over images of Zelda riding her face, moaning softly yet uncontrollably, her breasts and her belly bathing in the moonlight.

_Leticia is here, get a grip on yourself._

“Mary!” Leticia exclaims. “Come help us!”

She sighs and can’t help but walk over, back to them, where Zelda and Letty are knees buried in the sand, building a castle.

Mary gets their bag and fishes in it the sunblock’s cream and a ponytail holder. Kneeling behind Zelda, she pulls her hair into a high ponytail and starts applying cream on her shoulders and back, leaving some pecks on the back of her neck.

Zelda tucks an arm behind her own back and tickles Mary’s belly, making her squeal.

“What are you doing?” the brunette asks, resting her chin on Zelda’s shoulder and hugging her around her waist as the redhead worked.

“Leticia, go take some water. A castle – don’t go too far! The only part getting wet needs to be your feet!” she calls after her daughter.

“Relaxing, isn’t it?” Mary whispers, kissing her cheek and the corner of her mouth.

“Relaxing?” Zelda repeats. “You’re crazy. All day long with a kid. Ice creams and pizzas and games and I’m already tired.”

“After you’ll be done playing architect, I’ll make you a drink.”

“Oh, yes,” Zelda moaned, more or less in the same way she does in bed, and Mary pinched her hip: “Stop provoking me, you minx, I know what you’re doing.”

Zelda grins widely and turns her head to kiss her partner deeply, and clearly, Leticia chooses that moment to come back with the water.

“Mommy! Mary! You are always, always kissing!”

“What’s up with you not wanting us to kiss anymore?” Zelda asks, grabbing her daughter to tickle her too and kiss her belly.

“Because now you’re always kissing, and you don’t care about me no more!”

“Leticia!” Mary gasps, but Zelda hugs her close and tickles her again. “What a foolish little thing you are! How can we not care about you?”

“Letty?” Mary murmurs, caressing the baby’s shoulder. “Do you want me to go inside and fetch us some drinks, so you can play just with your Mommy for a while?”

She is _terrified_ the little girl is starting to suffer her constant presence in their life. Leticia is a fantastic little girl, and they have a great relationship, but it’s a big change in her life and she doesn’t want to impose. She wants Leticia to know that she can still have her alone time with her mother, without having to deal with Mary being always there. But the little girl surprises her screaming “No!” and moving from Zelda’s lap to hers, curling in her arms. “I want you too. I don’t want you and Mommy to never leave me.”

“We could _never_ ,” she murmurs, while Zelda bent over her and kisses Leticia’s forehead, the bridge of her nose, the tip of it, her cupid’s bow, her pouty and salty lips, and her chin. “I love you forever sweetheart. You don’t have anything to worry about.”

“I love you too, Mommy,” she mumbles, before grinning at Mary. “I love my Mary too.”

“And your Mary loves you back, more than you’ll ever know,” Mary smiles back, kissing her. “I love your Mommy too, but I won’t kiss her,” she says, and Leticia giggles. “Now, what about this castle?”

“It’s so pretty!” Leticia squeals, moving in the sand to gather her toys. “It looks like Hogwarts!”

“Yes, except the Ravenclaw tower should look toward West, and that points to East,” Mary shrugs.

“Excuse me?” Zelda stops, scrunching her nose under her sunglasses. “The towers are perfectly positioned. That’s Ravenclaw, and _that_ is Gryffindor.”  
“It should be the other way around, actually,” Mary points out, reaching for her book.

“It is not!” Zelda exclaims.

“Well, you wouldn’t know, wouldn’t you?” Mary smirks. “From the basements you Slytherin are imprisoned…”

“Excuse me!” Zelda barks again, and Leticia, even if she’s not sure if they’re playing or being serious, this time giggles a little. “I’m a hatshall, thank you very much! But the Sorting Hat agreed to put me into Ravenclaw so I can assure you I perfectly know where my tower is!”

Mary just smirks: “You sound like a Slytherin to me.”

Zelda gasps: “Mary Wardwell!” and she uses Leticia’s basket to splash some cold water to her. “You take that back!”

“Zelda! You’re wetting my book!” Mary yelps, trying to stand up and move out of Zelda’s area, but the redhead grabs her ankle, destroying with her own foot the drawbridge of the sandcastle.

Mary falls down on the sand and Zelda immediately holds her hostage at the waist, between laughs and “take it back”, followed by a few kisses.

Leticia sighs, commenting to herself: “They’re kissing again,” and move to build back to bridge, considering that the Ravenclaw tower should be in fact on the other side.

* * *

“Such a hellish couple of days,” Zelda sighs, finally able to relax in Mary’s arm, tucking her head under the brunette’s chin. They’re sitting outside, on the porch, nestled in each other’s arms as Leticia lays on the couch, watching cartoons.

“I’m sorry you had to see Leticia like this, sometimes she gets exceptionally needy and I have to handle her. But this was our bonding time to I’m sorry you have to bear with the both of us.”

“Are you done?” Mary asks, softly biting Zelda’s earlobe. “This is nonsense, do you understand? Leticia is a little girl, and as much as she’s smart and sweet, she has bad days like every one of us. Tomorrow she’ll be back to be her usual relaxed self.”

She caresses Zelda’s jawline with a finger, tilting her head up to kiss her mouth: “And today wasn’t hellish at all. I’ve enjoyed myself, okay?”

“Even if we argued at dinner?”

Zelda rolls her eyes: “We didn’t argue, sweetheart. We had a disagreement over _a book_!”

“Yes, and I called you an arrogant bitch.”

“Which I technically am,” Zelda shrugs. “And I’m pretty sure you still love me.”

Mary chuckles and kisses her lips: “Forever, gorgeous.”

Leticia arrives at that exact moment and beams: “Oh my God! You’re kissing!”

“Leticia, you have confused ideas about us kissing,” Zelda sighs. “What’s the matter?”

“You fighted at dinner but you’re still kissing,” she considers, holding her unicorn close to her chest.

“Fought,” Zelda corrects, then adds: “Baby, we know that you’ve been confused by all of the fighting going on between me and Mary, lately, but we’re not going to stop talking every time we have an argument.” She sits up and looks at Leticia: “I know it’s confusing, but I still love you or Sabrina or Auntie Hildie even if we fight, right? It’s how it works.”

“Yes, but…” Leticia argues in a small voice.

“But?”

“But we are family.”

Zelda clearly hears Mary's gasps next to her. But Leticia, unaware, concludes: “And I heard Sabrina tell Auntie Hildie that Mary’s not family yet because you keep her ‘way.”

The air between them freezes over, but Leticia asks: “Mommy, can you help me put on my PJs?”

Zelda kisses Mary’s temple: “Be right back.”

Zelda finds Mary in the dark, on the porch, standing at the fence, gaze lost looking at the ocean.

She’s wearing a pair of buggy beige jeans and a white shirt tucked in the jeans, hair loose and curly on her back, a tiny braid on each side of her temples to keep her curls away from her face. Zelda can see from the distance that she’s tense, and she gently gets near, placing a hand on her shoulder. Mary startles a bit but hides it behind a tight smile.

“Hello, darling,” Zelda smiles. But squeezes her hand but doesn’t say anything back, and Zelda decides to shoot straight to the point: “I’m terribly sorry for what Leticia said before. I’m not sure how I can explain to her that there are things that you don’t say.”

“It’s not that,” Mary shrugged. “Poor child, it’s not her fault. She was just scared. I mean, she _is_ scared we’re going to break up.”

Zelda links an arm around Mary’s waist and brings her close, moving her hair from her shoulder with her free hand.

“And if it’s not that, what’s the matter?”

Mary cups Zelda’s face in her hands and caresses her lips and her cheekbones with her thumb.

“It’s just what Sabrina said,” she sighs. “I’m afraid that it doesn’t matter how hard I love you and how much I want to be in your life, I probably will never have the spot in your life I so ardently want to have. And it hurts.”

“Shh,” Zelda hushes, brushing her thumb over Mary’s lips, crawling her face in her hands. “Shh,” she repeats, and kisses her mouth deeply and hungrily, nibbling at her lips.

“You know how I feel about you,” she mumbles on her mouth.

“And I know it’s still hard for you to say it,” Mary breathes, kissing her back.

“Yes, okay, I love you.”

Zelda smiles tentatively, trying to turn the serious topic into a joke. Then, back to be serious, she sighs and murmurs: “Please, don’t doubt this, okay? _Please_.”

Mary hugs her back, hiding her face in Zelda’s neck. “I won’t,” she promises, and yet, it doesn’t change anything.

Zelda moves and looks at her in the eyes: “Her Grace wonders if you could make her chamomile tea before bed. Apparently, I don’t have the necessary skills to drop a bag into hot water.”

“What can I tell you? I make the best chamomile tea ever,” Mary reminds her, shrugging.

**Author's Note:**

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